write in direct speech

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English lessons and resources

Direct speech writing rules in English

7th January 2019 by Andrew 12 Comments

In the above picture, Mark is talking to Jane. The words inside the blue box are the exact words that he speaks.

Here is how we express this:

This is direct speech. Direct speech is when we report the exact words that somebody says.

In this English lesson, you will learn:

The rules for writing direct speech.
The correct punctuation.
Vocabulary to report direct speech.

Reporting clause before the direct speech

The reporting clause of direct speech is the short clause that indicates who is talking. It is the clause that is outside of the inverted commas. It is therefore not the words being spoken.

We can write the reporting clause either before or after the direct speech. If the reporting clause is before the direct speech, we write it as follows:

Grammar rules – If the reporting clause is before the direct speech:

We write a comma (,) before the direct speech. We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a full stop (.) before the closing inverted commas.

Reporting clause before a question or exclamation

If the reporting clause is before a question or exclamation:

We write a comma (,) before the direct speech. We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a question mark (?) before the closing inverted commas. or We write an exclamation mark (!) before the closing inverted commas.

Reporting clause after the direct speech

If the reporting clause is after the direct speech:

We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a comma (,) before the closing inverted commas. We write a full stop (.) at the end of the reporting clause.

Reporting clause after a question or exclamation

If the reporting clause is after a question or exclamation:

We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a question mark (?) before the closing inverted commas. or We write an exclamation mark (!) before the closing inverted commas. We write a full stop (.) at the end of the reporting clause.

Advanced rules for direct speech

Sometimes we break up the direct speech into 2 parts:

The second part of the direct speech starts with a small letter if it is the same sentence as the first part of the direct speech.

The second part of the direct speech starts with a capital letter if it is a new sentence.

Vocabulary of direct speech

We have several names for the above punctuation marks:

Inverted commas Speech marks Quotation marks Quotes

Other reporting verbs

Here are some other useful reporting verbs:

reply (replied) ask (asked) shout (shouted) agree (agreed) comment (commented) admit (admitted)

They are often used for writing direct speech in books, newspapers and reports. It is more common to use them in reporting clauses after the direct speech.

“I really don’t like her dress,” she commented . “I don’t love you anymore,” he admitted .

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Direct speech video lesson

Reader Interactions

Matěj Formánek says

3rd November 2019 at 5:54 pm

How about this sentence: I know the satnav is wrong!” exclaimed Zena. – Why the subject and predicate are swapped? It’s sentence from textbook so I’m confused.

17th June 2020 at 4:07 pm

Can we write multiple sentences in direct speech that comes before reporting clause? In case if this is allowed, what punctuation mark should be used after the last sentence?

Example: “I entered the class room. As I did not find anybody there, I left the class room and went to buy a coffee.” explained the student to the teacher for his delay to come to the class.

Should the punctuation mark after the word coffee be comma instead of full stop?

Joaquim Barretto says

14th September 2020 at 1:25 pm

No full stop, but comma after the word coffee.

19th January 2021 at 2:34 pm

HI IM DAISY

courtney says

27th January 2021 at 12:07 pm

Clare Hatcher says

12th March 2021 at 9:55 am

Hello I like the layout of this – very clear. Just wondering if it is correct to use a comma in between two separate sentences in direct speech. I think that now in published material you find this instead. ‘I’m tired,’ she said. ‘Let’s stay at home.’ Would appreciate your thoughts Thanks

27th March 2021 at 8:54 am

If I wrote something with a comma at the end to continue speech like this:

“Hello,” he waved to the new student, “what’s you’re name?”

Do I have to use a capital letter even if I’m continuing with a comma or is it lowercase?

Sylvia Edouard says

30th September 2023 at 9:17 am

Yes, you need to use a capital letter as speech from someone has to start with a capital letter. Always.

15th April 2022 at 12:12 pm

which of the following is correct?

1. Should the status go missing when the metadata states, “Sign & return document?”

2. Should the status go missing when the metadata states, “Sign & return document,”? (comma inside)

3. Should the status go missing when the metadata states, “Sign & return document.”? (full stop inside)

Jan Švanda says

7th September 2023 at 1:31 pm

I presume the quotation is there to specify the exact phrase (for the metadata entry). I also encounter this from time to time, when writing technical documentation. I believe in that case you should write the phrase as it is, proper grammar be damned; beautifully looking documentation is useless if it leads to incorrect results.

In this case, I don’t even think this is “direct speech”, the metadata entry isn’t walking around and saying things, the quotation mark is there to indicate precise phrase – similar to marking strings in programming languages. Because of this, I don’t think direct speech rules apply, or at least, they should take back seat. If the expected status includes full stop at the end, the sentence would be:

4. Should the status go missing when the metadata states “Sign & return document.”? (no comma before, since it is not a direct speech; full stop inside, as it is part of the quoted status)

From grammatical perspective the end looks a bit ugly, but again, if this should be technical documentation, that is less important than precision.

A person says

15th August 2022 at 7:16 pm

One extra thing: YOU MUST NOT USE THE WORD SAID IN A REPORTING CLAUSE. EVER. IT’S UNIMAGINATIVE.

no joke, it’s actually discouraged and even close to banned at my school

7th September 2023 at 1:49 pm

This is stupid. You shouldn’t use it in _every_ sentence, there should be variety, but outright banning it doesn’t make sense.

Case in point:

Book: ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Phrase to search: ‘,” said’ (comma, followed by quotation mark, followed by space, followed by word ‘said’). Number of occurrences: 211. Total number of ‘,”‘ (comma, followed by quotation mark) strings is 436, so “said” is used in almost 50% cases of direct speech of this type.

I don’t think it would be right for your school to ban Jane Austin, do you?

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How do you write direct speech in English? - Easy Learning Grammar

The comma comes inside the quotation marks, unless the reporting verb is positioned inside a reported sentence that itself does not require a comma.
Typical reporting verbs are: agree, answer, ask, inquire, explain, say, tell, and wonder.
The words spoken are enclosed in inverted commas (single or double quotation marks).
Single quotation marks are often used to draw attention to a word that is being mentioned for a particular purpose.

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Direct and Indirect Speech: Useful Rules and Examples

Are you having trouble understanding the difference between direct and indirect speech? Direct speech is when you quote someone’s exact words, while indirect speech is when you report what someone said without using their exact words. This can be a tricky concept to grasp, but with a little practice, you’ll be able to use both forms of speech with ease.

Direct and Indirect Speech

When someone speaks, we can report what they said in two ways: direct speech and indirect speech. Direct speech is when we quote the exact words that were spoken, while indirect speech is when we report what was said without using the speaker’s exact words. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “I love pizza,” said John. Indirect speech: John said that he loved pizza.

Using direct speech can make your writing more engaging and can help to convey the speaker’s tone and emotion. However, indirect speech can be useful when you want to summarize what someone said or when you don’t have the exact words that were spoken.

To change direct speech to indirect speech, you need to follow some rules. Firstly, you need to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech to match the tense of the reporting verb. Secondly, you need to change the pronouns and adverbs in the reported speech to match the new speaker. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “I will go to the park,” said Sarah. Indirect speech: Sarah said that she would go to the park.

It’s important to note that when you use indirect speech, you need to use reporting verbs such as “said,” “told,” or “asked” to indicate who is speaking. Here’s an example:

Direct speech: “What time is it?” asked Tom. Indirect speech: Tom asked what time it was.

In summary, understanding direct and indirect speech is crucial for effective communication and writing. Direct speech can be used to convey the speaker’s tone and emotion, while indirect speech can be useful when summarizing what someone said. By following the rules for changing direct speech to indirect speech, you can accurately report what was said while maintaining clarity and readability in your writing.

Differences between Direct and Indirect Speech

When it comes to reporting speech, there are two ways to go about it: direct and indirect speech. Direct speech is when you report someone’s exact words, while indirect speech is when you report what someone said without using their exact words. Here are some of the key differences between direct and indirect speech:

Change of Pronouns

In direct speech, the pronouns used are those of the original speaker. However, in indirect speech, the pronouns have to be changed to reflect the perspective of the reporter. For example:

Direct speech: “I am going to the store,” said John.
Indirect speech: John said he was going to the store.

In the above example, the pronoun “I” changes to “he” in indirect speech.

Change of Tenses

Another major difference between direct and indirect speech is the change of tenses. In direct speech, the verb tense used is the same as that used by the original speaker. However, in indirect speech, the verb tense may change depending on the context. For example:

Direct speech: “I am studying for my exams,” said Sarah.
Indirect speech: Sarah said she was studying for her exams.

In the above example, the present continuous tense “am studying” changes to the past continuous tense “was studying” in indirect speech.

Change of Time and Place References

When reporting indirect speech, the time and place references may also change. For example:

Direct speech: “I will meet you at the park tomorrow,” said Tom.
Indirect speech: Tom said he would meet you at the park the next day.

In the above example, “tomorrow” changes to “the next day” in indirect speech.

Overall, it is important to understand the differences between direct and indirect speech to report speech accurately and effectively. By following the rules of direct and indirect speech, you can convey the intended message of the original speaker.

Converting Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

When you need to report what someone said in your own words, you can use indirect speech. To convert direct speech into indirect speech, you need to follow a few rules.

Step 1: Remove the Quotation Marks

The first step is to remove the quotation marks that enclose the relayed text. This is because indirect speech does not use the exact words of the speaker.

Step 2: Use a Reporting Verb and a Linker

To indicate that you are reporting what someone said, you need to use a reporting verb such as “said,” “asked,” “told,” or “exclaimed.” You also need to use a linker such as “that” or “whether” to connect the reporting verb to the reported speech.

For example:

Direct speech: “I love ice cream,” said Mary.
Indirect speech: Mary said that she loved ice cream.

Step 3: Change the Tense of the Verb

When you use indirect speech, you need to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech to match the tense of the reporting verb.

Indirect speech: John said that he was going to the store.

Step 4: Change the Pronouns

You also need to change the pronouns in the reported speech to match the subject of the reporting verb.

Direct speech: “Are you busy now?” Tina asked me.
Indirect speech: Tina asked whether I was busy then.

By following these rules, you can convert direct speech into indirect speech and report what someone said in your own words.

Converting Indirect Speech Into Direct Speech

Converting indirect speech into direct speech involves changing the reported speech to its original form as spoken by the speaker. Here are the steps to follow when converting indirect speech into direct speech:

Identify the reporting verb: The first step is to identify the reporting verb used in the indirect speech. This will help you determine the tense of the direct speech.
Change the pronouns: The next step is to change the pronouns in the indirect speech to match the person speaking in the direct speech. For example, if the indirect speech is “She said that she was going to the store,” the direct speech would be “I am going to the store,” if you are the person speaking.
Change the tense: Change the tense of the verbs in the indirect speech to match the tense of the direct speech. For example, if the indirect speech is “He said that he would visit tomorrow,” the direct speech would be “He says he will visit tomorrow.”
Remove the reporting verb and conjunction: In direct speech, there is no need for a reporting verb or conjunction. Simply remove them from the indirect speech to get the direct speech.

Here is an example to illustrate the process:

Indirect Speech: John said that he was tired and wanted to go home.

Direct Speech: “I am tired and want to go home,” John said.

By following these steps, you can easily convert indirect speech into direct speech.

Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech

Direct and indirect speech are two ways to report what someone has said. Direct speech reports the exact words spoken by a person, while indirect speech reports the meaning of what was said. Here are some examples of both types of speech:

Direct Speech Examples

Direct speech is used when you want to report the exact words spoken by someone. It is usually enclosed in quotation marks and is often used in dialogue.

“I am going to the store,” said Sarah.
“It’s a beautiful day,” exclaimed John.
“Please turn off the lights,” Mom told me.
“I will meet you at the library,” said Tom.
“We are going to the beach tomorrow,” announced Mary.

Indirect Speech Examples

Indirect speech, also known as reported speech, is used to report what someone said without using their exact words. It is often used in news reports, academic writing, and in situations where you want to paraphrase what someone said.

Here are some examples of indirect speech:

Sarah said that she was going to the store.
John exclaimed that it was a beautiful day.
Mom told me to turn off the lights.
Tom said that he would meet me at the library.
Mary announced that they were going to the beach tomorrow.

In indirect speech, the verb tense may change to reflect the time of the reported speech. For example, “I am going to the store” becomes “Sarah said that she was going to the store.” Additionally, the pronouns and possessive adjectives may also change to reflect the speaker and the person being spoken about.

Overall, both direct and indirect speech are important tools for reporting what someone has said. By using these techniques, you can accurately convey the meaning of what was said while also adding your own interpretation and analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is direct and indirect speech?

Direct and indirect speech refer to the ways in which we communicate what someone has said. Direct speech involves repeating the exact words spoken, using quotation marks to indicate that you are quoting someone. Indirect speech, on the other hand, involves reporting what someone has said without using their exact words.

How do you convert direct speech to indirect speech?

To convert direct speech to indirect speech, you need to change the tense of the verbs, pronouns, and time expressions. You also need to introduce a reporting verb, such as “said,” “told,” or “asked.” For example, “I love ice cream,” said Mary (direct speech) can be converted to “Mary said that she loved ice cream” (indirect speech).

What is the difference between direct speech and indirect speech?

The main difference between direct speech and indirect speech is that direct speech uses the exact words spoken, while indirect speech reports what someone has said without using their exact words. Direct speech is usually enclosed in quotation marks, while indirect speech is not.

What are some examples of direct and indirect speech?

Some examples of direct speech include “I am going to the store,” said John and “I love pizza,” exclaimed Sarah. Some examples of indirect speech include John said that he was going to the store and Sarah exclaimed that she loved pizza .

What are the rules for converting direct speech to indirect speech?

The rules for converting direct speech to indirect speech include changing the tense of the verbs, pronouns, and time expressions. You also need to introduce a reporting verb and use appropriate reporting verbs such as “said,” “told,” or “asked.”

What is a summary of direct and indirect speech?

Direct and indirect speech are two ways of reporting what someone has said. Direct speech involves repeating the exact words spoken, while indirect speech reports what someone has said without using their exact words. To convert direct speech to indirect speech, you need to change the tense of the verbs, pronouns, and time expressions and introduce a reporting verb.

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Punctuation in direct speech

We use inverted commas (also called quotation marks, quotes or speech marks) to indicate direct speech. Double quotes (") are preferred in American English, while single quotes (') are more common in British English:

" I'm coming home late tonight, " she said. (American English) ' I'm coming home late tonight, ' she said. (British English)

If we quote within direct speech, we use the other style for the embedded quotation:

"She said, ' I'm coming home late tonight ', " recalled Jim. (American English) 'She said, " I'm coming home late tonight ", ' recalled Jim. (British English)

As can be seen in the examples above, a comma ( , ) is used at the end of the quotation, before the closing speech mark.

A comma is also used before the quotation if we start the sentence with the reporting clause. In this case the terminal full stop (.) comes before the closing speech mark:

She added , "Don't expect me before 11 . "

If the quotation is a question or exclamation, the terminal marks ( ? and ! ) also come before the closing speech marks:

"Hurry up ! " he shouted. She asked, "Am I late ? "

The quotation normally begins with a capital letter, except if it is interrupted by a reporting clause, in which case the first letter of the continuation is not capitalised:

" I 'm coming home late tonight," she said and added, " d on't expect me before 11."

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Direct Speech and Reported Speech

There are two ways to report what someone says or thinks:

Direct Speech

Direct speech shows a person's exact words. Quotation marks ("....") are a sign that the words are the exact words that a person used.

Hai asked, "Where are you going?"

Manny replied, "I'm going home."

Reported Speech

Reported speech puts the speaker's words or ideas into a sentence without quotation marks. Noun clauses are usually used. In reported speech, the reader does not assume that the words are the speaker's exact words; often, they are a paraphrase of the speaker's words.

Hai asked Manny where he was going.

Manny said he was going home.

Note: Use of the word "that" is optional in reported speech. Both of the following sentences are correct:

The child said that they were lost.
The child said they were lost.

Verb Tense in Reported Speech

When you report what someone said in the past, you usually shift back a verb tense from the tense the speaker used. These are some examples of verb shifts:

simple present to simple past
past to past perfect
present perfect to past perfect

*If the reported information is still true, you may use the same tense.

Questions in Reported Speech

Word order: The word order in a reported question is the same as in a statement. The subject comes before the verb.

Question: Are you ready?
Statement: I am ready.
Question in reported speech: She wanted to know if I was ready.

Punctuation: If the sentence is a statement, end it with a period even if it contains a reported question.

Statement containing a reported question: She asked me what I thought of the book.
Question containing a reported question: Did she ask what you thought of the book?

Yes or No Questions

To change a yes/no question to a noun clause in reported speech, introduce the noun clause "if" or "whether." "Whether or not" may also be used.

Information Questions

To change an information question to a noun clause in reported speech, begin the noun clause with the question word and remember to use sentence word order.

The person who is reporting what someone said is usually different from the person who made the original statement. As a result, pronouns in reported speech often change.

Place and Time

Changes in the situation between direct and reported speech can result in changes to words indicating place and time.

Recommend and Suggest

The subjunctive, or base, form of the verb (no tense, without "to") is used in reported speech when the main verb is "recommend" or "suggest."

Infinitives

Infinitives (to + the simple form of the verb) may sometimes be used instead of noun clauses, especially in commands and in requests for action or permission.

Commands can be reported two ways:

A noun clause with a modal (usually "should")
An infinitive

Requests for Action or Permission

Requests for action or permission can be reported two ways:

A noun clause with "if"

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Reported speech: direct speech

Direct speech is a representation of the actual words someone said. A direct speech report usually has a reporting verb in the past simple. The most common reporting verb is said . The reporting clause may come first or second.

The reporting clause may sometimes come in the middle of the reported clause, especially in literary styles:

“No,” she said , “I’ve never seen it before.”

‘Was it,’ he asked , ‘the first time you had spoken to Mrs Dalton?’

We can use adverbs with the reporting verb to describe the way someone said something. This is more common when the reporting clause comes second:

“I will not accept it!” he said angrily .

‘Can I speak to the doctor?’ she asked rather nervously .

Reported speech: punctuation

Reported speech: reporting and reported clauses

Direct speech: inversion of subject and reporting verb

In narratives, especially novels and short stories, when the reporting clause comes second, we often invert the subject (s) and reporting verb (v):

“Things have always been the same in this village,” [V] said [S] the old man .

‘Hold on! I’m coming!’ [V] cried [S] Maurice .

Direct speech: present simple and continuous reporting verbs

Informal narratives.

In informal conversation, we sometimes use the present simple in the reporting clause. This makes the direct speech more vivid and dramatic:

So then this guy says , “I’ve got something for you. Come over here.” And he picked up a box and he says , “Open that.”

We can make the direct speech even more vivid and dramatic by using the present continuous. This is very informal:

And he’s looking at me and he ’s asking , “Who are you?” and I said, “I’m your nephew” and he ’s mumbling , “I don’t know you. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

In very informal conversation, people sometimes use says as a reporting verb for all persons ( I, you, she, he, we, they ):

She says , ‘What’s going on here?’ and I says , ‘Nothing. There’s nothing happening – everything’s okay.’

Many speakers consider the above examples to be incorrect. This applies especially to the use of says with all persons.

Newspaper headlines

We also use the present simple in newspaper headlines. This makes the reported words more dramatic:

‘I WON’T RESIGN,’ SAYS MINISTER

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Direct and Indirect Speech: The Ultimate Guide

Direct and Indirect Speech are the two ways of reporting what someone said. The use of both direct and indirect speech is crucial in effective communication and writing. Understanding the basics of direct and indirect speech is important, but mastering the advanced techniques of these two forms of speech can take your writing to the next level. In this article, we will explore direct and indirect speech in detail and provide you with a comprehensive guide that covers everything you need to know.

Table of Contents

What is Direct Speech?

Direct speech is a way of reporting what someone said using their exact words. Direct speech is typically enclosed in quotation marks to distinguish it from the writer’s own words. Here are some examples of direct speech:

“I am going to the store,” said John.
“I love ice cream,” exclaimed Mary.
“The weather is beautiful today,” said Sarah.

In direct speech, the exact words spoken by the speaker are used, and the tense and pronouns used in the quote are maintained. Punctuation is also important in direct speech. Commas are used to separate the quote from the reporting verb, and full stops, question marks, or exclamation marks are used at the end of the quote, depending on the tone of the statement.

What is Indirect Speech?

Indirect speech is a way of reporting what someone said using a paraphrased version of their words. In indirect speech, the writer rephrases the speaker’s words and incorporates them into the sentence. Here are some examples of indirect speech:

John said that he was going to the store.
Mary exclaimed that she loved ice cream.
Sarah said that the weather was beautiful that day.

In indirect speech, the tense and pronouns may change, depending on the context of the sentence. Indirect speech is not enclosed in quotation marks, and the use of reporting verbs is important.

Differences Between Direct and Indirect Speech

The structure of direct and indirect speech is different. Direct speech is presented in quotation marks, whereas indirect speech is incorporated into the sentence without quotation marks. The tenses and pronouns used in direct and indirect speech also differ. In direct speech, the tense and pronouns used in the quote are maintained, whereas, in indirect speech, they may change depending on the context of the sentence. Reporting verbs are also used differently in direct and indirect speech. In direct speech, they are used to introduce the quote, while in indirect speech, they are used to report what was said.

How to Convert Direct Speech to Indirect Speech

Converting direct speech to indirect speech involves changing the tense, pronouns, and reporting verb. Here are the steps involved in converting direct speech to indirect speech:

Remove the quotation marks.
Use a reporting verb to introduce the indirect speech.
Change the tense of the verb in the quote if necessary.
Change the pronouns if necessary.
Use the appropriate conjunction if necessary.

Here is an example of converting direct speech to indirect speech:

Direct speech: “I am going to the store,” said John. Indirect speech: John said that he was going to the store.

How to Convert Indirect Speech to Direct Speech

Converting indirect speech to direct speech involves using the same tense, pronouns, and reporting verb as the original quote. Here are the steps involved in converting indirect speech to direct speech:

Remove the reporting verb.
Use quotation marks to enclose the direct speech.
Maintain the tense of the verb in the quote.
Use the same pronouns as the original quote.

Here is an example of converting indirect speech to direct speech:

Indirect speech: John said that he was going to the store. Direct speech: “I am going to the store,” said John.

Advanced Techniques for Using Direct and Indirect Speech

Using direct and indirect speech effectively can add depth and complexity to your writing. Here are some advanced techniques for using direct and indirect speech:

Blending Direct and Indirect Speech

Blending direct and indirect speech involves using both forms of speech in a single sentence or paragraph. This technique can create a more engaging and realistic narrative. Here is an example:

“Sarah said, ‘I can’t believe it’s already winter.’ Her friend replied that she loved the cold weather and was excited about the snowboarding season.”

In this example, direct speech is used to convey Sarah’s words, and indirect speech is used to convey her friend’s response.

Using Reported Questions

Reported questions are a form of indirect speech that convey a question someone asked without using quotation marks. Reported questions often use reporting verbs like “asked” or “wondered.” Here is an example:

“John asked if I had seen the movie last night.”

In this example, the question “Have you seen the movie last night?” is reported indirectly without using quotation marks.

Using Direct Speech to Convey Emotion

Direct speech can be used to convey emotion more effectively than indirect speech. When using direct speech to convey emotion, it’s important to choose the right tone and emphasis. Here is an example:

“She screamed, ‘I hate you!’ as she slammed the door.”

In this example, the use of direct speech and the exclamation mark convey the intense emotion of the moment.

When should I use direct speech?
Direct speech should be used when you want to report what someone said using their exact words. Direct speech is appropriate when you want to convey the speaker’s tone, emphasis, and emotion.
When should I use indirect speech?
Indirect speech should be used when you want to report what someone said using a paraphrased version of their words. Indirect speech is appropriate when you want to provide information without conveying the speaker’s tone, emphasis, or emotion.
What are some common reporting verbs?
Some common reporting verbs include “said,” “asked,” “exclaimed,” “whispered,” “wondered,” and “suggested.”

Direct and indirect speech are important tools for effective communication and writing. Understanding the differences between these two forms of speech and knowing how to use them effectively can take your writing to the next level. By using advanced techniques like blending direct and indirect speech and using direct speech to convey emotion, you can create engaging and realistic narratives that resonate with your readers.

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English Basics

Direct Speech – Examples

In English grammar, sentences are the key part that helps us convey our thoughts and ideas. Without sentences, it would be impossible for us to interact, state, or speak out our thoughts. But sentences can be of different types. Different sentences convey different information in their own unique ways.

Today, we will learn about one such unique sentence structure that works on its own functionality, the direct speech . In general, direct speech can be defined as a sentence where the exact words used by some speaker or writer are used to convey the message. Here, we make a sentence that uses the same words from the original speech that some person, at some point, spoke.

However, there are certain rules that we need to follow while using a direct speech sentence. If you are not aware of them, refer to the explanations below and enlighten yourself with every rule to avoid confusion.

What is a Direct speech?

By definition, direct speech is a sentence in which the exact words used or spoken by a speaker is presented. This is a sentence structure in which the words of a person are reproduced in speech marks. This is especially used to make the readers feel engaged or quote something very important.

In simple words, direct speech is the sentence where we see quotation marks or inverted commas containing a certain set of words in the grammatical tense of when it was originally spoken. That means the message that someone at some point has written or spoken is conveyed exactly in the same manner in the present.

This form of sentence structure is used for various different purposes. However, the most common use of direct speech is storytelling or quoting a thought. It makes dialogue presentation easy and helps understand characters more interestingly and engagingly.

If you are still confused, look at the examples below to understand easily:

“Where are you going?” said Aunt Polly.
“Oh my god, I never thought this would happen again!” said our teacher angrily.
“I think I will drop today’s plan,” replied Sarah, sighing.
Harry said, “I am not well. I cannot come.”
Our teacher yelled, “Keep quiet, or I’ll deduct all your marks.”
“Did you play the guitar?” asked Marry.
“Where is my new birthday gift?” Sia asked excitedly.
“I am feeling lazy,” said Paul.

In the above examples, we can notice that different sets of words are stated inside quotation marks. And those words are evidently not being spoken in a current state. So, direct speech is a sentence where the exact words spoken at some point are written in a new sentence. This is to convey the exact message that the original speaker had conveyed.

Rules of direct speech

Now that we know what direct speech is, it is important to learn how to form and use one correctly. Direct speech is the presentation of the exact words of some person. It may seem easy in that sense. But there are some rules, especially punctuating rules, that we need to be aware of.

Some of the main rules regarding direct speech are;

• In a direct speech sentence, the speech of a particular person should always be between speech marks. That means the speech is opened and closed by speech marks, quotation marks, or inverted commas. For example: “I hate math classes,” said Vicky.

• The next important rule is that each character’s new speech will start on a new line. Also, each line of speech will begin with a capital letter.

• A line of speech usually ends with a comma, question mark, or exclamation mark. Further, if a sentence needs to be broken up for added information, we can use commas or question marks to finish the first part of the speech.

• A reporting clause mostly comes at the end of the sentence. Reporting clause means the phrase that indicates we are referring to the words that someone said or thought. They are the part that goes like: He said, Sarah asked, they screamed , etc. It is usually placed at the end of a sentence. But in some cases, it can also come in the beginning.

• Each reporting clause is ended with a full stop. But that is the case usually when it is mentioned at the end of a sentence. If a reporting clause is used at the beginning of a sentence, we will generally end it with a comma.

These are the general rules that we need to learn in order to form direct speech sentences. Missing any of these points can cause grammatical errors.

Difference between direct and indirect speech

There is another form of speech in grammar, the indirect speech. Indirect speech and direct speech are both different types of sentences that convey a message in different ways.

As we learned, direct speech is a sentence where the exact same words spoken by someone are presented. On the other hand, indirect speech is where we rephrase the words of the speaker in a sentence. In indirect speech, only the necessary or important points of someone’s message or speech are reported.

Here, unlike direct speech, we do not write the full speech of the speaker. Instead, we report the necessary content by rephrasing them in our own words.

For example;

Direct speech: “I am bored of school activities,” John screamed. Here, the exact words used by John are conveyed. There is no change or replacement of words.

Indirect speech: Sam said that he wanted to go to the movies.

Here, the words used might not match exactly with the words used by Sam in the original context. However, the main objective is to convey the same message. And in indirect speech, we do that without quoting the person’s speech.

So, this is the basic difference between direct speech and indirect speech. Both the speech types work equally well in different situations. However, when it concerns characters and dialogues, one cannot avoid direct speech to make the sentences more interactive and engaging.

More than or More then – Which one is correct?
Distributive Pronouns – Examples & Rules
Adjective of Number – Examples
Unergative Verbs – Examples
Relative Adverbs – Examples
Present Perfect Tense – Examples
Subordinate Clauses – Examples
Passive Voice – Examples & Rules

He Said, She Said: Mastering Reported Speech in English (Both Direct and Indirect)

“Reported speech” might sound fancy, but it isn’t that complicated.

It’s just how you talk about what someone said.

Luckily, it’s pretty simple to learn the basics in English, beginning with the two types of reported speech: direct (reporting the exact words someone said) and indirect (reporting what someone said without using their exact words ).

Read this post to learn how to report speech, with tips and tricks for each, plenty of examples and a resources section that tells you about real world resources you can use to practice reporting speech.

How to Report Direct Speech

How to report indirect speech, reporting questions in indirect speech, verb tenses in indirect reported speech, simple present, present continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, simple past, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect continuous, simple future, future continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous, authentic resources for practicing reported speech, novels and short stories, native english videos, celebrity profiles.

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Direct speech refers to the exact words that a person says. You can “report” direct speech in a few different ways.

To see how this works, let’s pretend that I (Elisabeth) told some people that I liked green onions.

Here are some different ways that those people could explain what I said:

Direct speech: “I like green onions,” Elisabeth said.

Direct speech: “I like green onions,” she told me. — In this sentence, we replace my name (Elisabeth) with the pronoun she.

In all of these examples, the part that was said is between quotation marks and is followed by a noun (“she” or “Elisabeth”) and a verb. Each of these verbs (“to say,” “to tell [someone],” “to explain”) are ways to describe someone talking. You can use any verb that refers to speech in this way.

You can also put the noun and verb before what was said.

Direct speech: Elisabeth said, “I like spaghetti.”

The example above would be much more likely to be said out loud than the first set of examples.

Here’s a conversation that might happen between two people:

1: Did you ask her if she liked coffee?

2: Yeah, I asked her.

1: What did she say?

2. She said, “Yeah, I like coffee.” ( Direct speech )

Usually, reporting of direct speech is something you see in writing. It doesn’t happen as often when people are talking to each other.

Direct reported speech often happens in the past. However, there are all kinds of stories, including journalism pieces, profiles and fiction, where you might see speech reported in the present as well.

This is sometimes done when the author of the piece wants you to feel that you’re experiencing events in the present moment.

For example, a profile of Kristen Stewart in Vanity Fair has a funny moment that describes how the actress isn’t a very good swimmer:

Direct speech: “I don’t want to enter the water, ever,” she says. “If everyone’s going in the ocean, I’m like, no.”

Here, the speech is reported as though it’s in the present tense (“she says”) instead of in the past (“she said”).

In writing of all kinds, direct reported speech is often split into two or more parts, as it is above.

Here’s an example from Lewis Carroll’s “ Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ,” where the speech is even more split up:

Direct speech: “I won’t indeed!” said Alice, in a great hurry to change the subject of conversation. “Are you—are you fond—of—of dogs?” The Mouse did not answer, so Alice went on eagerly: “There is such a nice little dog near our house I should like to show you!”

Reporting indirect speech is what happens when you explain what someone said without using their exact words.

Let’s start with an example of direct reported speech like those used above.

Direct speech: Elisabeth said, “I like coffee.”

As indirect reported speech, it looks like this:

Indirect speech: Elisabeth said she liked coffee.

You can see that the subject (“I”) has been changed to “she,” to show who is being spoken about. If I’m reporting the direct speech of someone else, and this person says “I,” I’d repeat their sentence exactly as they said it. If I’m reporting this person’s speech indirectly to someone else, however, I’d speak about them in the third person—using “she,” “he” or “they.”

You may also notice that the tense changes here: If “I like coffee” is what she said, this can become “She liked coffee” in indirect speech.

However, you might just as often hear someone say something like, “She said she likes coffee.” Since people’s likes and preferences tend to change over time and not right away, it makes sense to keep them in the present tense.

Indirect speech often uses the word “that” before what was said:

Indirect speech: She said that she liked coffee.

There’s no real difference between “She said she liked coffee” and “She said that she liked coffee.” However, using “that” can help make the different parts of the sentence clearer.

Let’s look at a few other examples:

Indirect speech: I said I was going outside today.

Indirect speech: They told me that they wanted to order pizza.

Indirect speech: He mentioned it was raining.

Indirect speech: She said that her father was coming over for dinner.

You can see an example of reporting indirect speech in the funny video “ Cell Phone Crashing .” In this video, a traveler in an airport sits down next to another traveler talking on his cell phone. The first traveler pretends to be talking to someone on his phone, but he appears to be responding to the second traveler’s conversation, which leads to this exchange:

Woman: “Are you answering what I’m saying?”

Man “No, no… I’m on the phone with somebody, sorry. I don’t mean to be rude.” (Direct speech)

Woman: “What was that?”

Man: “I just said I was on the phone with somebody.” (Indirect speech)

When reporting questions in indirect speech, you can use words like “whether” or “if” with verbs that show questioning, such as “to ask” or “to wonder.”

Direct speech: She asked, “Is that a new restaurant?”

Indirect speech: She asked if that was a new restaurant.

In any case where you’re reporting a question, you can say that someone was “wondering” or “wanted to know” something. Notice that these verbs don’t directly show that someone asked a question. They don’t describe an action that happened at a single point in time. But you can usually assume that someone was wondering or wanted to know what they asked.

Indirect speech: She was wondering if that was a new restaurant.

Indirect speech: She wanted to know whether that was a new restaurant.

It can be tricky to know how to use tenses when reporting indirect speech. Let’s break it down, tense by tense.

Sometimes, indirect speech “ backshifts ,” or moves one tense further back into the past. We already saw this in the example from above:

Direct speech: She said, “I like coffee.”

Indirect speech: She said she liked coffee.

Also as mentioned above, backshifting doesn’t always happen. This might seem confusing, but it isn’t that difficult to understand once you start using reported speech regularly.

What tense you use in indirect reported speech often just depends on when what you’re reporting happened or was true.

Let’s look at some examples of how direct speech in certain tenses commonly changes (or doesn’t) when it’s reported as indirect speech.

To learn about all the English tenses (or for a quick review), check out this post .

Direct speech: I said, “I play video games.”

Indirect speech: I said that I played video games (simple past) or I said that I play video games (simple present).

Backshifting into the past or staying in the present here can change the meaning slightly. If you use the first example, it’s unclear whether or not you still play video games; all we know is that you said you played them in the past.

If you use the second example, though, you probably still play video games (unless you were lying for some reason).

However, the difference in meaning is so small, you can use either one and you won’t have a problem.

Direct speech: I said, “I’m playing video games.”

Indirect speech: I said that I was playing video games (past continuous) or I said that I’m playing video games (present continuous).

In this case, you’d likely use the first example if you were telling a story about something that happened in the past.

You could use the second example to repeat or stress what you just said. For example:

Hey, want to go for a walk?

Direct speech: No, I’m playing video games.

But it’s such a nice day!

Indirect speech: I said that I’m playing video games!

Direct speech: Marie said, “I have read that book.”

Indirect speech: Marie said that she had read that book (past perfect) or Marie said that she has read that book (present perfect).

The past perfect is used a lot in writing and other kinds of narration. This is because it helps point out an exact moment in time when something was true.

The past perfect isn’t quite as useful in conversation, where people are usually more interested in what’s true now. So, in a lot of cases, people would use the second example above when speaking.

Direct speech: She said, “I have been watching that show.”

Indirect speech: She said that she had been watching that show (past perfect continuous) or She said that she has been watching that show (present perfect continuous).

These examples are similar to the others above. You could use the first example whether or not this person was still watching the show, but if you used the second example, it’d probably seem like you either knew or guessed that she was still watching it.

Direct speech: You told me, “I charged my phone.”

Indirect speech: You told me that you had charged your phone (past perfect) or You told me that you charged your phone (simple past).

Here, most people would probably just use the second example, because it’s simpler, and gets across the same meaning.

Direct speech: You told me, “I was charging my phone.”

Indirect speech: You told me that you had been charging your phone (past perfect continuous) or You told me that you were charging your phone (past continuous).

Here, the difference is between whether you had been charging your phone before or were charging your phone at the time. However, a lot of people would still use the second example in either situation.

Direct speech: They explained, “We had bathed the cat on Wednesday.”

Indirect speech: They explained that they had bathed the cat on Wednesday. (past perfect)

Once we start reporting the past perfect tenses, we don’t backshift because there are no tenses to backshift to.

So in this case, it’s simple. The tense stays exactly as is. However, many people might simplify even more and use the simple past, saying, “They explained that they bathed the cat on Wednesday.”

Direct speech: They said, “The cat had been going outside and getting dirty for a long time!”

Indirect speech: They said that the cat had been going outside and getting dirty for a long time. (past perfect continuous)

Again, we don’t shift the tense back here; we leave it like it is. And again, a lot of people would report this speech as, “They said the cat was going outside and getting dirty for a long time.” It’s just a simpler way to say almost the same thing.

Direct speech: I told you, “I will be here no matter what.”

Indirect speech: I told you that I would be here no matter what. (present conditional)

At this point, we don’t just have to think about tenses, but grammatical mood, too. However, the idea is still pretty simple. We use the conditional (with “would”) to show that at the time the words were spoken, the future was uncertain.

In this case, you could also say, “I told you that I will be here no matter what,” but only if you “being here” is still something that you expect to happen in the future.

What matters here is what’s intended. Since this example shows a person reporting their own speech, it’s more likely that they’d want to stress the truth of their own intention, and so they might be more likely to use “will” than “would.”

But if you were reporting someone else’s words, you might be more likely to say something like, “She told me that she would be here no matter what.”

Direct speech: I said, “I’ll be waiting for your call.”

Indirect speech: I said that I would be waiting for your call. (conditional continuous)

These are similar to the above examples, but apply to a continuous or ongoing action.

Direct speech: She said, “I will have learned a lot about myself.”

Indirect speech: She said that she would have learned a lot about herself (conditional perfect) or She said that she will have learned a lot about herself (future perfect).

In this case, using the conditional (as in the first example) suggests that maybe a certain event didn’t happen, or something didn’t turn out as expected.

However, that might not always be the case, especially if this was a sentence that was written in an article or a work of fiction. The second example, however, suggests that the future that’s being talked about still hasn’t happened yet.

Direct speech: She said, “By next Tuesday, I will have been staying inside every day for the past month.”

Indirect speech: She said that by next Tuesday, she would have been staying inside every day for the past month (perfect continuous conditional) or She said that by next Tuesday, she will have been staying inside every day for the past month (past perfect continuous).

Again, in this case, the first example might suggest that the event didn’t happen. Maybe the person didn’t stay inside until next Tuesday! However, this could also just be a way of explaining that at the time she said this in the past, it was uncertain whether she really would stay inside for as long as she thought.

The second example, on the other hand, would only be used if next Tuesday hadn’t happened yet.

Let’s take a look at where you can find resources for practicing reporting speech in the real world.

One of the most common uses for reported speech is in fiction. You’ll find plenty of reported speech in novels and short stories . Look for books that have long sections of text with dialogue marked by quotation marks (“…”). Once you understand the different kinds of reported speech, you can look for it in your reading and use it in your own writing.

Writing your own stories is a great way to get even better at understanding reported speech.

One of the best ways to practice any aspect of English is to watch native English videos. By watching English speakers use the language, you can understand how reported speech is used in real world situations.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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Celebrity profiles, which you can find in print magazines and online, can help you find and practice reported speech, too. Celebrity profiles are stories that focus on a famous person. They often include some kind of interview. The writer will usually spend some time describing the person and then mention things that they say; this is when they use reported speech.

Because many of these profiles are written in the present tense, they can help you get used to the basics of reported speech without having to worry too much about different verb tenses.

While the above may seem really complicated, it isn’t that difficult to start using reported speech.

Mastering it may be a little difficult, but the truth is that many, many people who speak English as a first language struggle with it, too!

Reported speech is flexible, and even if you make mistakes, there’s a good chance that no one will notice.

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Direct and Indirect Speech

Introduction to Direct and Indirect Speech

The distinction between Direct and Indirect Speech may be confusing for some students. Often when we need to explain an incident or action, it involves quoting what someone said. A social situation, as well as a work email or presentation, are examples of such instances. There are two forms of Speech used to explain what other people say: direct Speech and indirect Speech (or reported Speech).

Direct Speech

The same words spoken are quoted indirect Speech. If we use Direct Speech in writing, we bring the words spoken between quotation marks (" ") and leave them alone. We may be reporting something that is being said (for example, a phone conversation) or asking someone about a previous conversation later.

Nirmal said, "There's a dog outside the window."

Mahima says, "What time will you be home?"

Supriya said, "I don't know!"

Indirect Speech

When we use reported or Indirect Speech to speak about the past, we generally change the tense of the words we say. We use reporting verbs like 'say,' 'tell,' and 'ask,' and we can introduce the reported words with the word 'that.' There are no inverted commas in this sentence.

For Example,

Mahima said that she had seen him.

Nirmal said he was looking forward to playing in the match on Saturday.

Children often mix up Direct and Indirect Speech. We need a way to say the difference between what someone is claimed to have said and what they said when we're writing. What did she say if you asked her? You may respond in one of two ways:

“I don’t like pizza,” Siddi said. (Direct Speech)

Siddi says she doesn’t like pizza. (Indirect Speech)

Note how Speech marks (“...”) are used in Direct Speech to indicate precisely what was said. Speech labels are located at the beginning and end of the actual words spoken. The words 'Siddi said' are not in Speech marks because they were not spoken aloud; rather, they are a way for the writer to express who was speaking to the reader.

The past tense is often used in reported Speech. This is because the words have already been spoken, and the writer is simply reporting on what has already been saying. It's critical to think about what was said and convert it to the past tense.

Direct and Indirect Narration Rules

Following are the steps to convert the Direct/Indirect Speech and also let’s discuss Direct and Indirect Speech tenses rules in detail.

Step 1: Write down the reporting verb that is used to determine the Indirect Speech's tense.

Step 2: Change the position and time to reflect the speaker's actual location and time.

Step 3: For both the object and the subject, use the correct pronoun.

Step 4: Make sure the sentence has the correct structure and word order.

Now we'll go through each of these measures in greater depth.

Step 1: Choosing the Verb's Tense and Conversion

Case 1: Nirmal said, ‘I go to the gym every day.

Case 2: Nirmal says, ‘I go to the gym every day.’

The verb ‘say' is used in both of the instances above to express the action of speaking. In addition, the reporting verb say is used in the past tense in the first case – said. In case 2, however, the reporting verb is in the present tense.

As a consequence, all verbs must be in the relevant past tense here. If the reporting verb is in the past tense, this is often followed. Thus, Nirmal said, ‘I go to the class every day will change to Nirmal said that he went to the gym every day.

The second rule is that the tense is not changed whether the reporting verb is in the future or present tense. So, Nirmal says, ‘I go to the class every day will be changed to Nirmal says that he goes to the class every day.

Step 2: Changes are Made to the Word That Communicates Place, Time, and Connection.

The time or place specified in the sentence should be changed to match the current time or position.

On 21st, May 2015: ‘I will come tomorrow,’ Sriram said.

On 21st, May 2015, Sriram said that he would come the next day.

Step 3: The Subject and Object Pronouns are Chosen Separately.

Case 1: Saurav will say to his friends, “I have started learning psychology” will change to Saurav will tell his friends that he has started learning psychology.

In this case, the speaker and the reporter are the same people. As a consequence, the pronoun should be the first person pronoun.

Case 2: Ma’am said to me, “I hope you will bring the geometry to my next class” will changed to Ma’am hoped that I would bring the geometry to her next class.

The speaker is ma'am, and the reporter is the student. As a consequence, the ma'am pronoun should be in the third person. The reporter's pronoun should also be in the first person.

Remember that we do not change the tense of the reporting verb within the quotation marks when it is in the present or future tense.

When using English, you'll want to use both direct and indirect Speech regularly, so make sure you're familiar with both and can use them correctly. Direct Speech isn't always an accurate representation of what someone has said. Using inverted commas before and after the quotation, you may quote from other texts similarly. Instead of using the verb "to tell," consider using a verb like "to compose," "to state," or "to define." You may convey what is being reported using a variety of verbs; for example, while "to say" is widely used, you may also want to use "to tell" to explain something that has been told to you. Keeping a small diary of what has been said around you is an important way to practise – explain what people have said and try to write a few examples of each form.

FAQs on Direct and Indirect Speech

1. What is Direct and Indirect Speech with Examples?

The same words spoken are quoted in the direct speech. If we use direct speech in writing, we bring the words spoken between quotation marks (" ") and leave them alone. We are talking about the present moment and we are talking about the original content. Direct Speech: “I'm seeing my brother tomorrow.” or “I’ll call them tomorrow”

While reporting if we are changing the words without changing the meaning of the sentence then it is called indirect speech. Here the present tense is converted into past tense. Here the sentence of the speaker is summarized without changing the meaning and reported.

Indirect Speech: She said she was seeing her brother the following day. Or She said that it was hot.

2. What are Simple Rules for Conversion of Indirect Speech to Direct Speech?

Both inverted commas and quotation marks should be eliminated. Put a full stop at the end of the sentence. Shift the present tense of the verb within the inverted commas/quotation marks to the corresponding past tense. Shift it to the past perfect tense if it's in the simple past tense.

Step 1: change the tenses from present to past

Present Tense: I like chocolates

Past Tense: she said that she liked chocolates

Step 2: Change the sentences from simple past to past perfect

Present: He arrived on Tuesday

Past: He said that he had arrived on Tuesday

Step 3: while converting future tense, ‘will’ changes to would

Present: I will be attending the wedding.

Past: She said that she would be attending the wedding.

Step 4: change the present continuous tense to the past continuous tense.

Present: We are eating dinner

Past: They said that they were eating dinner.

Step 5: Change the Present Perfect Tense into Past Perfect Tense

Present: She has finished her task.

Past: She said that she had finished her task.

Step 6: Change the Past Progressive Tense into the Perfect Continuous Tense

Present: My husband was cooking

Past: She said that her husband had been cooking.

Step 7: And also remember past perfect and past perfect progressive doesn't change.

Step 8: And also the future Progressive Tense changes into “would be”. The Future Perfect Tense changes into “would have”.The Future Perfect Progressive Tense changes into “would have been”.

And also follow these simple rules.

The conjunction ‘that’ is used in indirect speech.

The pronoun ‘I’ has to be changed according to the person.

The verb “am" is changed to “was".

For converting to Indirect speech, the words representing nearness will be changed to the words representing distance like the adverb “now” will be converted to the word “Then”, here now represent the nearness in time while ‘then’ represent distance.

3. What are the Examples of Direct Speech?

Few examples of Direct speech are:

Nirmal said, "There's a dog outside the window."

Mahima says, "What time will you be home?"

Supriya said, "I don't know!"

I like chocolates.

Where do you live in?

Where are you?

I play basketball

I do yoga every morning

Can you pass me the bottle, please?

I brought a new pen

I will shift to Mumbai

She had worked hard.

My mom is preparing sweets

Don’t talk to me

I play chess every day

Ananth is dancing on the floor

I like Sachin Tendulkar

She plays the guitar very well

4. Differentiate between Direct and Indirect Speech.

5. Give some examples for indirect speech.

She said that she liked chocolates

He said that he played basketball

She asked me to be on time

Neha said that her parents were very well.

He said that he played chess every day

She told me that she liked Sachin Tendulkar

She told me that she had been to the USA.

She said that she had finished her task.

he said that he would come to the party by 8 PM

She said that she hadn’t seen Nupur recently.

She asked me to bring her dress the next day

He asked us not to be late.

They told that they were ready for competition

EnglishTutorHub

DIRECT SPEECH | English writing lesson and exercises

In this tutorial learners are going to learn English writing lesson about direct speech.

Before we further proceed, watch the video here about DIRECT SPEECH | English writing lesson and exercises in English class.

So, if we want to write what is happening here, then this is how we write.

He said “ Let’s go to the mall .”

Direct speech.

Direct speech is when we report the exact words that somebody says.

In this lesson you will learn:

The rules for writing direct speech.

The correct punctuation.

Vocabulary to report direct speech.

And finally, at the end of the lesson there are some exercises for practice.

Reporting clause before the direct speech

“He said” is before the direct speech, so the rules are;

If the reporting clause is before the direct speech:

We write a comma (,) before the direct speech.

We write the exact words inside the inverted commas .

The first letter is a capital letter .

We write a full stop (.) before the closing inverted commas .

Reporting clause before a question or exclamation

If the reporting clause is before a question or exclamation:

We write a question mark ( ? ) before the closing inverted commas .

or an exclamation mark ( ! ) before the closing inverted commas .

Reporting clause after the direct speech

If the reporting clause is after the direct speech:

The first letter is a capital letter .

We write a comma (,) before the closing inverted commas .

We write a full stop (.) at the end of the reporting clause .

Reporting clause after a question or exclamation

If the reporting clause is after the question or exclamation .

We write the exact words inside the inverted commas .

We write a question mark ( ? ) before the closing inverted commas .

Advanced rule

Sometimes we break up the direct speech into 2 parts:

The second part of the direct speech starts with a small letter if it is the same sentence as the first part of the direct speech.

The second part of the direct speech starts with a capital letter if it is a new sentence.

Inverted commas

Speech marks

Quotation marks

Other reporting verbs

Here are some other useful reporting verbs.

They are often used for writing direct speech in books, newspapers and reports.

It is more common to use them in reporting clauses after the direct speech.

reply (replied) ask (asked) comment (commented)

agree (agreed) shout (shouted) admit (admitted)

Which of the following sentences are written correctly?

So, that’s the end of the lesson, I hope you enjoyed it. Don’t forget to subscribe, share, like and let me know your thoughts and questions, love to hear from you.

For more readings

FAIL – 5 different meanings + expression
T he difference between “a little” and “little”
Matter – English noun, verb and expressions
When to use “a little” and “a few”: English Grammar Rules
Compound Words: English Vocabulary
The difference between MUST and HAVE TO

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4.3 GRAMMAR: Reported Speech

There are two basic ways: direct speech and indirect speech. Direct speech is an exact account of what someone said or wrote. To include direct speech in your writing, enclose the words in “quotation marks.” Indirect speech is a restatement of what someone said or wrote. Indirect speech does not use the person’s exact words. You do not need to use quotation marks for indirect quotations.

Direct speech (quoting)

One way to report what a person said or wrote is to repeat their exact words. This is called direct speech. The person’s words are called a quotation.

To use direct speech, you must repeat the person’s words exactly. You use a verb of attribution and specific punctuation. Quotation marks show readers another person’s exact words. Often, you will want to identify who is speaking. You can do this at the beginning, middle, or end of the quote. Notice the use of commas and capitalized words.

Look at these examples:

“I’m no prophet. My job is making windows where there were once walls,” said philosopher Michel Foucault.
Michel Foucault said, “I’m no prophet. My job is making windows where there were once walls.”
“I’m no prophet,” said philosopher Michel Foucault. “My job is making windows where there were once walls.”

They all mean exactly the same thing. The difference between these three options is merely a matter of style. What is important, however, is the punctuation. Pay attention to quotation marks, commas, periods, and spaces.

Use single quotation marks to enclose a quote within a quote. For example: “He said, ‘The futurist told me to buy stock in plastics.'”

A quotation must be exactly the same as the original text.
A quotation must use “quotation marks” surrounding the exact text.
A quotation must give credit to the original author or speaker.
According to Sports Illustrated , “Eliminating drug use from Olympic Sports would be no small challenge.”
“ Eliminating drug use from Olympic Sports would be no small challenge,” according to Sports Illustrated .

Indirect speech (paraphrasing)

Another way to report what a person says is indirect speech. Here, you don’t need to use the other person’s exact words. In informal situations, you may change only a word or two (such as the verb tense). Other times, such as in formal academic research writing, you paraphrase, or say the same thing using different words or a different word order. When you paraphrase, you usually use a verb of attribution followed by a noun clause, often introduced by the relative pronoun that . Here’s how you can paraphrase the example from above:

Philosopher Michel Foucault says he doesn’t see the future, but instead helps people find ways to put windows in walls.
Michel Foucault says he’s not a philosopher; rather, he helps people see beyond what is immediately in front of them.

The 4 Rs of paraphrasing

According to the Virtual Library, here are four steps to paraphrase:

Reword the text by using synonyms or different parts of speech; change verb tense or change active verbs to passive and vice versa.
Rearrange by moving words to make new sentences or reorganize the sentences in a passage.
Realize that not all words or phrases can be changed; you won’t be able to replace names, dates, titles, or technical words.
Recheck your work to make sure it carries the same meaning as the original; a paraphrase does not add or omit any information, and it does not include your personal opinion.

NOTE: In formal academic writing, we often use a reporting verb in the present simple tense. Example: The author of this book suggests that the real reason for the wildfires was human carelessness.

Let’s look at another example:

Using quotation : Many people believe they can get more done if they do several things at the same time. However, Steven Pinker disagrees. In his article “Mind Over Mass Media” in The New York Times (2010), Pinker says, “Genuine multitasking, too, has been exposed as a myth, not just by laboratory studies but by the familiar sight of an S.U.V. undulating between lanes as the driver cuts deals on his cellphone” (A31). Pinker goes on to explain that there are better ways to be more effective and efficient …

Using paraphrase : Many people believe they can get more done if they do several things at the same time. However, Steven Pinker disagrees. Pinker (2010) writes that people cannot really do more than one thing at a time; one can see this from scientific research projects and also from just watching a car moving unpredictably down the highway while the driver is talking on a cell phone (A31). Pinker goes on to explain that there are better ways to be more effective and efficient …

Note the three steps we took in making this paraphrase:

We defined the key term. (“Genuine multitasking” = “do more than one thing at a time”)
We used different vocabulary. (“laboratory studies” = “scientific research projects”; “an S.U.V. undulating between lanes” = “a car moving unpredictably down the highway”)
We used different grammar. (“has been exposed” = “one can see”; “by the familiar sight” = “from just watching”)
A paraphrase has the same meaning (all main ideas included; no new ideas added).
A paraphrase is different enough to be considered your own words (uses no more than a few words in a row from the original source; changes vocabulary and grammar as much as possible)
A paraphrase refers to (cites) the original source.

Use the following exercise to check your understanding. This exercise is for practice; it is not graded, and you may complete it as many times as you wish.

1. Which of the options below describes this sentence best? The artist said the studio smelled like “paint and possibility.”

The sentence uses a quotation to explain what the artist said.
There is no paraphrase (because there are “quotation marks”), but there is also no direct speech because the quote is not a full sentence.
The sentence uses a quotation, but the whole sentence is incomplete and therefore only a fragment.
The sentence paraphrases what the artist said.

2. Paraphrasing, which is also called “indirect speech,” uses the exact same words as the original source.

3. Here is a sentence from an article by Mary Lynch: The value of education is more than knowledge. How would I report this as indirect speech (paraphrase)?

The value of education is more than knowledge, believes Mary Lynch.
In Mary Lynch’s opinion, “The value of education is more than knowledge.”
Mary Lynch suggests that knowledge is not the only important thing about learning.
Mary Lynch says education and training are very important.

4. Here is a sentence from an article by Doug Drial: Oregon became a state on February 14, 1859. How would I report this as direct speech (quotation)?

Doug Drial writes Oregon as a state in 1859.
According to Doug Drial, February 14, 1859 was the date when Oregon became a state.
Doug Drial says Oregon became a state on February 14, 1859.
Doug Drial says, “Oregon became a state on February 14, 1859.”

5. In formal academic writing, we should …

use a variety of both direct and indirect speech
use only direct speech
always use only my own ideas and never support from outside sources
use only indirect speech

6. Which of the following are ways to help you paraphrase? (choose all that apply)

change only the punctuation
change the word forms
change the word order
use the other person’s exact words
use synonyms
use quotation marks
change the verb tense
use a metaphor or simile

7. In formal academic writing, you usually use the __________________ tense to report what others have said or written.

present perfect
simple future
simple present
simple past

8. A comma or period usually goes outside (after) the quotation mark.

9. Which of the following uses correct grammar?

My teacher said me to cite my outside sources of information.
My teacher told me to cite my outside sources of information.
My teacher says me to cite my outside sources of information.
My teacher tells to cite my outside sources of information.

10. A quotation, which is also called “direct speech,” must use the speaker’s or writer’s exact words.

Some text has been adapted from “Quotation Marks | English 112: Exposition and Persuasion.” Courses.lumenlearning.com, courses.lumenlearning.com/ivytech-engl112/chapter/quotation-marks/ . Accessed 29 Dec. 2021.

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Direct and indirect speech

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When using indirect or reported speech, the form changes. Usually indirect speech is introduced by the verb said , as in I said , Bill said , or they said . Using the verb say in this tense, indicates that something was said in the past. In these cases, the main verb in the reported sentence is put in the past. If the main verb is already in a past tense, then the tense changes to another past tense; it can almost be seen as moving even further into the past.

Verb tense changes also characterize other situations using indirect speech. Note the changes shown in the chart and see the table below for examples. With indirect speech, the use of that is optional.

The situation changes if instead of the common said another part of the very to say is used. In that case the verb tenses usually remain the same. Some examples of this situation are given below.

Another situation is the one in which modal constructions are used. If the verb said is used, then the form of the modal, or another modal that has a past meaning is used.

While not all the possibilities have been listed here, there are enough to provide examples of the main rules governing the use of indirect or reported speech. For other situations, try to extrapolate from the examples here, or better still, refer to a good grammar text or reference book.

Some other verbs that can be used to introduce direct speech are ask, report, tell, announce, suggest, and inquire. They are not used interchangeably; check a grammar or usage book for further information.

Updated September 11, 2023 by Digital & Web Operations, University Relations ( [email protected] )

Indirect Speech Definition and Examples

An Introduction to Punctuation
Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
B.A., English, State University of New York

Indirect speech is a report on what someone else said or wrote without using that person's exact words (which is called direct speech). It's also called indirect discourse or reported speech .

Direct vs. Indirect Speech

In direct speech , a person's exact words are placed in quotation marks and set off with a comma and a reporting clause or signal phrase , such as "said" or "asked." In fiction writing, using direct speech can display the emotion of an important scene in vivid detail through the words themselves as well as the description of how something was said. In nonfiction writing or journalism, direct speech can emphasize a particular point, by using a source's exact words.

Indirect speech is paraphrasing what someone said or wrote. In writing, it functions to move a piece along by boiling down points that an interview source made. Unlike direct speech, indirect speech is not usually placed inside quote marks. However, both are attributed to the speaker because they come directly from a source.

How to Convert

In the first example below, the verb in the present tense in the line of direct speech ( is) may change to the past tense ( was ) in indirect speech, though it doesn't necessarily have to with a present-tense verb. If it makes sense in context to keep it present tense, that's fine.

Direct speech: "Where is your textbook? " the teacher asked me.
Indirect speech: The teacher asked me where my textbook was.
Indirect speech: The teacher asked me where my textbook is.

Keeping the present tense in reported speech can give the impression of immediacy, that it's being reported soon after the direct quote,such as:

Direct speech: Bill said, "I can't come in today, because I'm sick."
Indirect speech: Bill said (that) he can't come in today because he's sick.

Future Tense

An action in the future (present continuous tense or future) doesn't have to change verb tense, either, as these examples demonstrate.

Direct speech: Jerry said, "I'm going to buy a new car."
Indirect speech: Jerry said (that) he's going to buy a new car.
Direct speech: Jerry said, "I will buy a new car."
Indirect speech: Jerry said (that) he will buy a new car.

Indirectly reporting an action in the future can change verb tenses when needed. In this next example, changing the am going to was going implies that she has already left for the mall. However, keeping the tense progressive or continuous implies that the action continues, that she's still at the mall and not back yet.

Direct speech: She said, "I'm going to the mall."
Indirect speech: She said (that) she was going to the mall.
Indirect speech: She said (that) she is going to the mall.

Other Changes

With a past-tense verb in the direct quote, the verb changes to past perfect.

Direct speech: She said, "I went to the mall."
Indirect speech: She said (that) she had gone to the mall.

Note the change in first person (I) and second person (your) pronouns and word order in the indirect versions. The person has to change because the one reporting the action is not the one actually doing it. Third person (he or she) in direct speech remains in the third person.

Free Indirect Speech

In free indirect speech, which is commonly used in fiction, the reporting clause (or signal phrase) is omitted. Using the technique is a way to follow a character's point of view—in third-person limited omniscient—and show her thoughts intermingled with narration.

Typically in fiction italics show a character's exact thoughts, and quote marks show dialogue. Free indirect speech makes do without the italics and simply combines the internal thoughts of the character with the narration of the story. Writers who have used this technique include James Joyce, Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Henry James, Zora Neale Hurston, and D.H. Lawrence.

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Learn How To Write Reported Speech Dialogue Correctly

How to use dialogue tags with reported speech

How do you write reported speech dialogue?

When you start to learn to write dialogue, it seems simple. All you need to do is add a reporting verb or dialogue tag.

You probably learned this at high school. When a character speaks lines of dialogue, you put a double quotation mark at the beginning and end.

But if you use reported speech, you need to include a tense shift.

In This Article

What’s the difference between dialogue writing and reported speech?

Most dialogue uses active speech. It is what a character says.

But reported speech dialogue is when a character says what another character said.

Let’s look at the difference.

Direct dialogue

When you write dialogue , you are using direct speech.

You are using the exact words that the character says, and then adding a dialogue tag to say who spoke the words.

“I’m going into town this morning. I should be back before dinner,” she said.

The reporting verb is almost always in the simple past verb tense, which is the general rule for fiction writing.

It doesn’t matter which tense the dialogue is using.

It can be present continuous, present perfect , or present simple.

“I’m having friends over for dinner tomorrow night,” he said.

“I’ve had friends over for dinner quite often,” he said.

“I have friends over for dinner all the time,” he said.

You can also use the present simple tense for reporting verbs in some circumstances.

It is when you want to say that someone says something often or all the time.

“When I get older, I think I’ll travel the world,” she says.

“I’m going to buy a Ferrari one day,” he always says.

But you wouldn’t use the present dialogue form in most fiction writing.

Reported speech dialogue

In reported speech or indirect speech , we may not necessarily use the exact words of the speaker.

It is often used to convey small talk or gossip about what other people said.

It is also used to paraphrase long speeches or extended discourse.

We can use both past and present tense in reported speech. But again, the past is much more common.

She said she was going into town that morning and that she should be back before dinner. Past form

He always says that he is going to buy a Ferrari one day. Present form

You need to format dialogue with punctuation and quotation marks. But you write reported speech as a standard sentence.

You include the attribution and reporting verb without punctuation.

When you use the past form, you need to pay special attention to the tense shift.

No matter what tense the original utterance used, reported speech always uses the past.

It is because it is something someone said in the past. It is an action that occurred in the past, so we refer to it as a past event.

Tense shift examples

Compare the difference between these direct and indirect sentences.

I want to go to Norway. He said he wanted to go to Norway.

She will pass her exam for sure. He told me that she would pass her exam for sure.

They wanted to buy a new house but didn’t get the loan. Tom told me that they had wanted to buy a new house but didn’t get the loan.

The general rule is that active speech in present or future tenses shifts back to the past simple.

When active speech is in the present perfect, it shifts back to the past perfect.

But for past simple active speech, it can shift back to past perfect, or stay in the past simple.

In all forms, the relative pronoun, that , is optional.

How to use tense shift in reported speech dialogue

Using reported speech dialogue in writing

When you incorporate reported speech within a character’s dialogue, you need to keep the tense shift.

Here are some reporting dialogue examples.

“Have you seen Jillian lately?” Mary asked.

“Oh, yes. I saw her yesterday, and she told me that she was going to France next month ,” Anne replied.

“I didn’t feel well this morning, so I called my boss to let him know. There is an important meeting this afternoon. But my boss said that it was okay and that he would get someone else to take the minutes . I still feel guilty, though,” Jane said.

“I saw Michelle this morning, and she told me that she had been waiting for days for the results of her blood test . I’m not sure what’s wrong, but she looked worried,” Susan said.

As you can see in the reported speech dialogue examples above, the parts that are indirect reported speech retain the correct past form.

The rest of the direct written dialogue can be in any tense or form the speaker uses.

Punctuating your dialogue

There are five basic aspects of good dialogue punctuation.

1. All punctuation is inside the quotation marks.

These include full stops (periods), commas, question marks, and exclamation marks.

Jim said, “I’m not aware of it”. Wrong Jim said, “I’m not aware of it.” Correct

“I don’t know what to think”, she said. Wrong “I don’t know what to think,” she said. Correct

“Where did he go”? she asked. Wrong “Where did he go?” she asked. Correct

“Get out of here”! he shouted. Wrong “Get out of here!” he shouted. Correct

2. Using an em dash or ellipsis.

We use em dashes to indicate a speaker was interrupted. You add an ellipsis when a speaker’s words trail off, or when an utterance is incomplete.

“I was planning on buying–” she started. “No way! I told you we need to save money,” he said.

“It’s funny when you think about things, and well …” Anne said. “You think too much, Anne,” Mary said.

3. Start a new paragraph for a new speaker.

It is confusing for a reader if the dialogue runs on in the same paragraph.

When there is a new speaker in dialogue, always start in a new paragraph.

4. Quotation marks for long dialogues

Dialogues are usually short and sharp.

But you might have a piece of dialogue that is more of an oration, and you need to divide it into paragraphs.

You can use an opening and closing quotation mark for the whole dialogue.

Another option is to add one opening quotation mark at the beginning of each new paragraph and then close the final paragraph.

5. Don’t mix quotation mark styles.

It is up to you whether you use curly, straight, double, or single quotations.

In his book, Cloudsteet, Tim Winton uses no quotation marks at all for the dialogue. But it is still great dialogue.

Generally, readers won’t mind what your choice is.

But they will be distracted or confused if you mix different types of quotation marks.

It isn’t an easy check as you are proofreading. But there is an easy way to make sure you are consistent.

Try using an online writing app to help you.

If you use Prowritingaid, you can check your whole manuscript by ticking Dialogue Tags Check in your combo settings.

How to check for consistent quotation marks in Prowritingaid

For Grammarly users, you can find any errors in your Correctness tab.

It will show you any quotation mark inconsistencies.

How to check for consistent quotation marks in Grammarly

Once you know how to write active dialogue and reported speech, it is easy to combine the two into reported dialogue.

Just remember that dialogue is active speech.

But reported speech is indirect, so it always needs to use backward tense shift into the past.

The most critical part of good dialogue writing is your use of correct and consistent punctuation .

When you get it right, a reader doesn’t notice it. They become blind to it.

But if you have inconsistencies, it stands out and can become annoying.

Related Reading: Are Question Tags Effective In Your Dialogue Writing?

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20 Easy Examples of Direct Speech

Back to: Direct and Indirect Speech (Narration)

Some easy examples of direct speech are given below. Attentively look at the use of punctuation marks, pronouns, proper nouns and type of sentences in the examples.

Table of Contents

Direct Speech Assertive Sentences Examples

Assertive sentence makes statement. It can be about a speaker’s thoughts and feelings or about day to day events, etc. assertive sentence always ends with full stop.

Tom said, “I have a dog.”
The fisherman said, “I am going to catch a fish.”
Manasi said, “I am ill today.”
Debi said, “I will go to Calcutta tomorrow.”
Rakesh told Amit, “We were listening to music.”

Direct Speech Interrogative Sentence Examples

Interrogative sentence asks question. We can form interrogative sentence with WH-question, yes/no question. Interrogative sentence in direct speech always ends with question mark.

The man said to him, “What is your name?”
I said to Rana, “Where are you going?”
The teacher said to Arun, “Can you stand up?”
My friend said to me, “Have you seen Taj Mahal?”
Ritu said, “Do you have a pen?”

Direct Speech Imperative sentence Examples:

We use imperative sentence to give order, advice, to instruct or to request something.

Mother told me, “Do your homework.”
Father said, “Study more for your exam.”
Ranju said, “Please, come with me.”
The dwarf said to snow white, “Do not eat the apple.”
The commander said to the soldiers, “Protect our country.”

Direct Speech in Exclamatory Sentence Examples

Exclamatory sentence is used to convey or express emotions like joy, sorrow, pity, fear, wish etc. In case of Direct speech, exclamatory mark is used to show and stress on emotions in exclamatory sentence.

The boys said, “Hurray! We won the match.”
The old lady told the girl, “Alas, my cat has died.”
She said, “What a sight it was!”
The neighbour told the mother, “What an adorable baby you have!”
The teacher said, “ What an intelligent boy!”

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The Feds Are Coming for “Extremist” Gamers

The Department of Homeland Security and FBI are in dialog with Roblox, Discord, Reddit, and others.

Gaming companies are coordinating with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to root out so-called domestic violent extremist content, according to a new government report. Noting that mechanisms have been established with social media companies to police extremism, the report recommends that the national security agencies establish new and similar processes with the vast gaming industry.

The exact nature of the cooperation between federal agencies and video game companies, which has not been previously reported, is detailed in a new Government Accountability Office report . The report draws on interviews conducted with five gaming and social media companies including Roblox, an online gaming platform; Discord, a social media app commonly used by gamers; Reddit; as well as a game publisher and social media company that asked the GAO to remain anonymous.

The Intercept reached out to the companies identified in the GAO report for comment, but none responded on the record at time of publication.

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have mechanisms to share and receive domestic violent extremism threat-related information with social media and gaming companies,” the GAO says. The report reveals that the DHS intelligence office meets with gaming companies and that the companies can use these meetings to “share information with I&A [DHS’s intelligence office] about online activities promoting domestic violent extremism,” or even simply “activities that violate the companies’ terms of service.” Through its 56 field offices and hundreds of resident agencies subordinate field offices, the FBI receives tips from gaming companies of potential law-breaking and extremist views for further investigation. The FBI also conducts briefings to gaming companies on purported threats.

The GAO warns that FBI and DHS lack an overarching strategy to bring its work with gaming companies in line with broader agency missions. “Without a strategy or goals, the agencies may not be fully aware of how effective their communications are with companies, or how effective their information-sharing mechanisms serve the agencies’ overall missions,” the GAO says. The report ends with a recommendation that both agencies develop such a strategy — a recommendation that DHS concurred with, providing an estimated completion date of June 28 this year.

“All I can think of is the awful track record of the FBI when it comes to identifying extremism,” Hasan Piker, a popular Twitch streamer who often streams while playing video games under the handle HasanAbi, says of the mechanisms. “They’re much better at finding vulnerable teenagers with mental disabilities to take advantage of.”

The GAO’s investigation, which covers September 2022 to January 2024, was undertaken at the request of the House Homeland Security Committee, which asked the government auditor to examine domestic violent extremists’ use of gaming platforms and social media. While there is no federal law that criminalizes domestic violent extremism as a category of crime, since 2019 the U.S. government has employed five domestic terrorism threat categories. These are defined by the FBI and DHS as racial/ethnically motivated violent extremism, anti-government/anti-authority violent extremism, animal rights or environmental violent extremism , abortion-related violent extremism , and all other domestic terror threats.

The GAO study also follows pressure from Congress to top gaming companies to crack down on extremist content. Last March, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin, D-Ill., sent letters to gaming companies Valve, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, Riot Games, Roblox Corp, and Take-Two Interactive demanding that they take actions to police gamers.

“Unlike more traditional social media companies — which in recent years have developed public facing policies addressing extremism, created trust and public safety teams, and released transparency reports — online gaming platforms generally have not utilized these tools,” Durbin wrote in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland. In the letter, Durbin requested a briefing from the Justice Department on what channels exist “for DOJ and the online video game industry to communicate and coordinate” on the threat of “online video games by extremists and other malicious actors.”

The federal government’s interest in combating extremism has risen sharply following the January 6 storming of the Capitol. On his first full day in office, President Joe Biden directed his national security team to conduct a comprehensive review of federal efforts to fight domestic terrorism, which the White House has deemed “the most urgent terrorism threat facing the United States” — greater than foreign terrorist groups like the Islamic State group. Biden’s directive resulted in the first ever national strategy for fighting domestic terrorism, released by the White House in June 2021. The strategy mentions “online gaming platforms” as a place where “recruiting and mobilizing individuals to domestic terrorism occurs.”

According to the national strategy, the intelligence community assessed that extremists emboldened by events like January 6 “pose an elevated threat to the Homeland”; and that “DVE [domestic violent extremist] attackers often radicalize independently by consuming violent extremist material online and mobilize without direction from a violent extremist organization, making detection and disruption difficult.”

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The federal government says that sharing information with gaming and social media companies is another avenue to identify and combat extremism. The government also recognizes that there are constitutional and legal questions about Americans’ free speech rights. According to the GAO report, both the FBI and DHS indicated that they are proceeding with caution in light of federal litigation on such matters, including one case on its way to the Supreme Court.

In response to a 2022 lawsuit brought by attorneys general in Missouri and Louisiana, a federal judge last year prohibited the FBI, DHS, and other federal agencies from communicating with social media companies to fight what they consider misinformation.

Federal law enforcement and intelligence have long focused on gaming as an avenue for both radicalization and as a backdoor platform for extremists to communicate. A 2019 internal intelligence assessment jointly produced by the FBI, DHS, the Joint Special Operations Command, and the National Counterterrorism Center and obtained by The Intercept warns that “violent extremists could exploit functionality of popular online gaming platforms and applications.” The assessment lists half a dozen U.S.-owned gaming platforms that it identifies as popular, including Blizzard Entertainment’s Battle.net, Fortnite, Playstation Xbox Live, Steam, and Roblox.

“We must stop the glorification of violence in our society,” former President Donald Trump said in 2019 after mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. “This includes the gruesome video games that are now commonplace.”

Pentagon List of Extremism Experts Includes Anti-Muslim and Conservative Christian Groups

The GAO report cites over a dozen expert participants in their survey, including three from the Anti-Defamation League as well as the Pentagon-funded RAND Corporation, and several academic institutions.

The Anti-Defamation League has testified to Congress multiple times about extremists’ use of gaming platforms. In 2019, ADL’s then-senior vice president of international affairs, Sharon Nazarian, was asked by Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., if gaming platforms “are monitored” and if there’s “a way AI can be employed to identify those sorts of conversations.”

Nazarian replied that gaming platforms “need to be better regulated.”

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Katie Britt’s kitchen-table rebuttal to State of the Union baffles GOP

Sitting in front of a kitchen done in shades of beige, with a couple of family photos, a faucet and a fruit bowl visible in the background, Sen. Katie Boyd Britt (R-Ala.) delivered the Republican Party’s rebuttal to President Biden’s State of the Union address Thursday night.

The kitchen was among several elements of her speech that drew criticism ranging from baffled to mocking — not just from Democrats, but from Republicans who said the setting undermined Britt’s stature as a senator and questioned her halting, theatrical delivery. The speech swiftly began drawing jokes and parodies .

“Senator Katie Britt is a very impressive person,” conservative commentator Alyssa Farah Griffin wrote on X . “I do not understand the decision to put her in a *KITCHEN* for one of the most important speeches she’s ever given.”

“This speech is not what we need,” said Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA. “Joe Biden just declared war on the American right and Katie Britt is talking like she’s hosting a cooking show.”

Britt, a 42-year-old freshman senator with longtime experience on Capitol Hill, was chosen to deliver the rebuttal as a figure representative of the next generation of congressional Republicans. She also focused on immigration, crime and the economy and sought to remind viewers of Biden’s age.

A senator from Alabama and a mother, she was also a clear choice for delivering the message to viewers that Republicans support IVF — days after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos should be considered children, a move that sparked a national backlash for its threat to in vitro fertilization procedures. In her speech, Britt did not defend the ruling but instead tried to reassure viewers that Republicans support IVF, without noting that dozens of GOP lawmakers have backed a bill that would define life as beginning “at conception” without protections for IVF.

But with her performance, during which her dramatic tones and pauses appeared to differ from her usual way of speaking, she joined the ranks of speakers whose State of the Union responses have gone down in history as missteps. In 2009, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was panned for his response to President Barack Obama’s speech. And in 2013, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) memorably sipped bottled water during his rebuttal.

“Not sure whose genius idea it was to put a U.S. Senator in the kitchen to deliver the response to the [State of the Union],” Republican pollster Christine Matthews said in a social media post Friday morning.

Matthews noted that, in panels she has conducted over the past decade with women swing voters, ads featuring women speaking about health care in the kitchen “just sets women voters off.”

“Instead of the relatable look they were going for here — given the rollback of reproductive rights and the IVF fiasco — it sends the message that Republicans are literally trying to send women back to the kitchen,” Matthews added.

A spokesman for Britt did not immediately respond to a request from The Washington Post. Some members of Britt’s party praised her performance, including Donald Trump , the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, who applauded her on Truth Social, writing, “Great job Katie!”

“Katie Britt was a GREAT contrast to an Angry, and obviously very Disturbed, ‘President,’” Trump wrote .

This was the third consecutive year that Republicans chose a woman to give the rebuttal, and showing viewers a young White mother at home appeared to be a clear strategy targeting female voters. An ally of Britt’s sent talking points to conservatives suggesting reactions to the speech before it occurred, the New York Times reported , in a memo that suggested that Britt “came off like America’s mom — she gets it.”

In his post, Trump made sure to point out that Britt “was compassionate and caring, especially concerning Women and Women’s Issues.” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) highlighted Britt’s address as “speaking directly to parents and families across the nation.”

Many concluded that the tactic had not worked. Griffin, speaking on CNN, said it was “confusing” to women watching.

“Women can be both wives and mothers and also stateswomen,” Griffin said. “So to put her in a kitchen, not in front of a podium or in the Senate chamber, where she was elected after winning a hard-fought race, I think fell very flat.”

Perspective: A lot of moms can’t see themselves in Katie Britt’s kitchen

Meanwhile, Democrats called out GOP stances on reproductive rights and other women’s issues, which Britt defended in her speech. Many pointed out Thursday the irony of Britt decrying the reported sexual assault and trafficking of a woman whose story she told in the speech, while having endorsed Trump, who was found by a jury to have sexually abused and raped writer E. Jean Carroll.

“Sen Katie Britt says sexual assault is the worst thing that can happen to a woman while encouraging Americans to vote for a convicted sexual predator,” Shannon Watts, founder of the gun-control group Moms Demand Action, wrote on X .

Democrats also noted that, under Alabama’s abortion ban — one of the strictest in the country, with no exceptions for rape or incest — a rape victim would be forced to carry their rapist’s baby to term.

And while Britt was highly critical of the Biden administration’s immigration policies, Democrats pointed out that she was among the Republican senators who helped negotiate a bipartisan border security deal — but then ultimately voted against it after Trump signaled to congressional Republicans that no immigration policy should pass during the election year.

Meanwhile, some Republicans worried that the speech hadn’t had its intended effect in reaching female voters, particularly in suburban swing districts.

Allie Beth Stuckey, host of the Christian conservative podcast “Relatable,” praised the kitchen setting but called the speech “a real missed opportunity.” She noted on X that Britt was in the difficult spot of needing to seem relatable, likable, and “happy, but not too happy … upset, but not too emotional.”

“But the delivery was parody-level terrible,” Stuckey said , “and I promise that didn’t sway any of those suburban moms we’re trying to reach.”

Mariana Alfaro contributed to this report.

The biggest moments from Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address March 7, 2024 The biggest moments from Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address March 7, 2024
Fact-checking President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address March 8, 2024 Fact-checking President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address March 8, 2024
A lot of moms can’t see themselves in Katie Britt’s kitchen March 8, 2024 A lot of moms can’t see themselves in Katie Britt’s kitchen March 8, 2024

state of the union

Full Transcript: Read President Joe Biden’s 2024 State of the Union Address

Read TIME’s coverage of President Joe Biden’s 2024 State of the Union:

— The Biggest Moments From Joe Biden’s 2024 State of the Union Address

— Why Democratic Congresswomen Wore White at the State of the Union Again

— Biden Targets Republicans on IVF and Abortion Access in State of the Union

— Biden Pressures Israel, Promises Gaza Aid Pier in State of the Union Speech

— Biden Just Delivered a Top Career Performance. He Needed It.

The following are Biden’s full remarks, as prepared for delivery, provided by the White House:

Good evening.

Mr. Speaker. Madam Vice President. Members of Congress. My Fellow Americans.

In January 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt came to this chamber to speak to the nation.

He said, “I address you at a moment unprecedented in the history of the Union.”

Hitler was on the march. War was raging in Europe.

President Roosevelt’s purpose was to wake up the Congress and alert the American people that this was no ordinary moment.

Freedom and democracy were under assault in the world.

Tonight I come to the same chamber to address the nation.

Now it is we who face an unprecedented moment in the history of the Union.

And yes, my purpose tonight is to both wake up this Congress, and alert the American people that this is no ordinary moment either.

Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault here at home as they are today.

What makes our moment rare is that freedom and democracy are under attack, both at home and overseas, at the very same time.

Overseas, Putin of Russia is on the march, invading Ukraine and sowing chaos throughout Europe and beyond.

If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you, he will not.

But Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself. That is all Ukraine is asking. They are not asking for American soldiers.

In fact, there are no American soldiers at war in Ukraine. And I am determined to keep it that way.

But now assistance for Ukraine is being blocked by those who want us to walk away from our leadership in the world.

It wasn’t that long ago when a Republican President, Ronald Reagan, thundered, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

Now, my predecessor, a former Republican President, tells Putin, “Do whatever the hell you want.”

A former American President actually said that, bowing down to a Russian leader.

It’s outrageous. It’s dangerous. It’s unacceptable.

America is a founding member of NATO the military alliance of democratic nations created after World War II to prevent war and keep the peace.

Today, we’ve made NATO stronger than ever.

We welcomed Finland to the Alliance last year, and just this morning, Sweden officially joined NATO, and their Prime Minister is here tonight.

Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to NATO, the strongest military alliance the world has ever known.

I say this to Congress: we must stand up to Putin. Send me the Bipartisan National Security Bill.

History is watching.

If the United States walks away now, it will put Ukraine at risk.

Europe at risk. The free world at risk, emboldening others who wish to do us harm.

My message to President Putin is simple.

We will not walk away. We will not bow down. I will not bow down.

History is watching, just like history watched three years ago on January 6th.

Insurrectionists stormed this very Capitol and placed a dagger at the throat of American democracy.

Many of you were here on that darkest of days.

We all saw with our own eyes these insurrectionists were not patriots.

They had come to stop the peaceful transfer of power and to overturn the will of the people.

January 6th and the lies about the 2020 election, and the plots to steal the election, posed the gravest threat to our democracy since the Civil War.

But they failed. America stood strong and democracy prevailed.

But we must be honest the threat remains and democracy must be defended.

My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth of January 6th.

I will not do that.

This is a moment to speak the truth and bury the lies.

And here’s the simplest truth. You can’t love your country only when you win.

As I’ve done ever since being elected to office, I ask you all, without regard to party, to join together and defend our democracy!

Remember your oath of office to defend against all threats foreign and domestic.

Respect free and fair elections! Restore trust in our institutions! And make clear—political violence has absolutely no place in America!

And history is watching another assault on freedom.

Joining us tonight is Latorya Beasley, a social worker from Birmingham, Alabama. 14 months ago tonight, she and her husband welcomed a baby girl thanks to the miracle of IVF.

She scheduled treatments to have a second child, but the Alabama Supreme Court shut down IVF treatments across the state, unleashed by the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade .

She was told her dream would have to wait.

What her family has gone through should never have happened. And unless Congress acts, it could happen again.

So tonight, let’s stand up for families like hers!

To my friends across the aisle, don’t keep families waiting any longer. Guarantee the right to IVF nationwide!

Like most Americans, I believe Roe v. Wade got it right. And I thank Vice President Harris for being an incredible leader, defending reproductive freedom and so much more.

But my predecessor came to office determined to see Roe v. Wade overturned.

He’s the reason it was overturned. In fact, he brags about it.

Look at the chaos that has resulted.

Joining us tonight is Kate Cox, a wife and mother from Dallas.

When she became pregnant again, the fetus had a fatal condition.

Her doctors told Kate that her own life and her ability to have children in the future were at risk if she didn’t act.

Because Texas law banned abortion, Kate and her husband had to leave the state to get the care she needed.

What her family has gone through should never have happened as well. But it is happening to so many others.

There are state laws banning the right to choose, criminalizing doctors, and forcing survivors of rape and incest to leave their states as well to get the care they need.

Many of you in this Chamber and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on reproductive freedom.

My God, what freedoms will you take away next?

In its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court majority wrote, “Women are not without electoral or political power.”

No kidding.

Clearly, those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women in America.

They found out though when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and won in 2022, 2023, and they will find out again, in 2024.

If Americans send me a Congress that supports the right to choose, I promise you, I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again!

America cannot go back. I am here tonight to show the way forward. Because I know how far we’ve come.

Four years ago next week, before I came to office, our country was hit by the worst pandemic and the worst economic crisis in a century.

Remember the fear. Record job losses. Remember the spike in crime. And the murder rate.

A raging virus that would take more than 1 million American lives and leave millions of loved ones behind.

A mental health crisis of isolation and loneliness.

A president, my predecessor, who failed the most basic duty. Any President owes the American people the duty to care.

That is unforgivable.

I came to office determined to get us through one of the toughest periods in our nation’s history.

And we have. It doesn’t make the news but in thousands of cities and towns the American people are writing the greatest comeback story never told.

So let’s tell that story here and now.

America’s comeback is building a future of American possibilities, building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down, investing in all of America, in all Americans to make sure everyone has a fair shot and we leave no one behind!

The pandemic no longer controls our lives. The vaccines that saved us from COVID are now being used to help beat cancer.

Turning setback into comeback.

That’s America!

I inherited an economy that was on the brink. Now our economy is the envy of the world!

15 million new jobs in just three years—that’s a record!

Unemployment at 50-year lows.

A record 16 million Americans are starting small businesses and each one is an act of hope.

With historic job growth and small business growth for Black, Hispanic, and Asian-Americans.

800,000 new manufacturing jobs in America and counting.

More people have health insurance today than ever before.

The racial wealth gap is the smallest it’s been in 20 years.

Wages keep going up and inflation keeps coming down!

Inflation has dropped from 9% to 3%—the lowest in the world!

And trending lower.

And now instead of importing foreign products and exporting American jobs, we’re exporting American products and creating American jobs—right here in America where they belong!

And the American people are beginning to feel it.

Consumer studies show consumer confidence is soaring.

Buy American has been the law of the land since the 1930s.

Past administrations including my predecessor failed to Buy American.

Not any more.

On my watch, federal projects like helping to build American roads bridges and highways will be made with American products built by American workers creating good-paying American jobs!

Thanks to my Chips and Science Act the United States is investing more in research and development than ever before.

During the pandemic a shortage of semiconductor chips drove up prices for everything from cell phones to automobiles.

Well instead of having to import semiconductor chips, which America invented I might add, private companies are now investing billions of dollars to build new chip factories here in America!

Creating tens of thousands of jobs many of them paying over $100,000 a year and don’t require a college degree.

In fact my policies have attracted $650 Billion of private sector investments in clean energy and advanced manufacturing creating tens of thousands of jobs here in America!

Thanks to our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, 46,000 new projects have been announced across your communities—modernizing our roads and bridges, ports and airports, and public transit systems.

Removing poisonous lead pipes so every child can drink clean water without risk of getting brain damage.

Providing affordable high speed internet for every American no matter where you live.

Urban, suburban, and rural communities—in red states and blue.

Record investments in tribal communities.

Because of my investments, family farms are better be able to stay in the family and children and grandchildren won’t have to leave home to make a living.

It’s transformative.

A great comeback story is Belvidere, Illinois. Home to an auto plant for nearly 60 years.

Before I came to office the plant was on its way to shutting down.

Thousands of workers feared for their livelihoods. Hope was fading.

Then I was elected to office and we raised Belvidere repeatedly with the auto company knowing unions make all the difference.

The UAW worked like hell to keep the plant open and get those jobs back. And together, we succeeded!

Instead of an auto factory shutting down an auto factory is re-opening and a new state-of-the art battery factory is being built to power those cars.

Instead of a town being left behind it’s a community moving forward again!

Because instead of watching auto jobs of the future go overseas 4,000 union workers with higher wages will be building that future, in Belvidere, here in America!

Here tonight is UAW President, Shawn Fain, a great friend, and a great labor leader.

And Dawn Simms, a third generation UAW worker in Belvidere.

Shawn, I was proud to be the first President in American history to walk a picket line.

And today Dawn has a job in her hometown providing stability for her family and pride and dignity.

Showing once again, Wall Street didn’t build this country!

The middle class built this country! And unions built the middle class!

When Americans get knocked down, we get back up!

We keep going!

That’s America! That’s you, the American people!

It’s because of you America is coming back!

It’s because of you, our future is brighter!

And it’s because of you that tonight we can proudly say the State of our Union is strong and getting stronger!

Tonight I want to talk about the future of possibilities that we can build together.

A future where the days of trickle-down economics are over and the wealthy and biggest corporations no longer get all the breaks.

I grew up in a home where not a lot trickled down on my Dad’s kitchen table.

That’s why I’m determined to turn things around so the middle class does well the poor have a way up and the wealthy still does well.

We all do well.

And there’s more to do to make sure you’re feeling the benefits of all we’re doing.

Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anywhere else.

It’s wrong and I’m ending it.

With a law I proposed and signed and not one Republican voted for we finally beat Big Pharma!

Instead of paying $400 a month for insulin seniors with diabetes only have to pay $35 a month!

And now I want to cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for every American who needs it!

For years people have talked about it but I finally got it done and gave Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs just like the VA does for our veterans.

That’s not just saving seniors money.

It’s saving taxpayers money cutting the federal deficit by $160 Billion because Medicare will no longer have to pay exorbitant prices to Big Pharma.

This year Medicare is negotiating lower prices for some of the costliest drugs on the market that treat everything from heart disease to arthritis.

Now it’s time to go further and give Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for 500 drugs over the next decade.

That will not only save lives it will save taxpayers another $200 Billion!

Starting next year that same law caps total prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare at $2,000 a year even for expensive cancer drugs that can cost $10,000, $12,000, $15,000 a year.

Now I want to cap prescription drug costs at $2,000 a year for everyone!

Folks Obamacare, known as the Affordable Care Act is still a very big deal.

Over one hundred million of you can no longer be denied health insurance because of pre-existing conditions.

But my predecessor and many in this chamber want to take that protection away by repealing the Affordable Care Act.

I won’t let that happen!

We stopped you 50 times before and we will stop you again!

In fact I am protecting it and expanding it.

I enacted tax credits that save $800 per person per year reducing health care premiums for millions of working families.

Those tax credits expire next year.

I want to make those savings permanent!

Women are more than half of our population but research on women’s health has always been underfunded.

That’s why we’re launching the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, led by Jill who is doing an incredible job as First Lady.

Pass my plan for $12 Billion to transform women’s health research and benefit millions of lives across America!

I know the cost of housing is so important to you.

If inflation keeps coming down mortgage rates will come down as well.

But I’m not waiting.

I want to provide an annual tax credit that will give Americans $400 a month for the next two years as mortgage rates come down to put toward their mortgage when they buy a first home or trade up for a little more space.

My Administration is also eliminating title insurance fees for federally backed mortgages.

When you refinance your home this can save you $1,000 or more.

For millions of renters, we’re cracking down on big landlords who break antitrust laws by price-fixing and driving up rents.

I’ve cut red tape so more builders can get federal financing, which is already helping build a record 1.7 million housing units nationwide.

Now pass my plan to build and renovate 2 million affordable homes and bring those rents down!

To remain the strongest economy in the world we need the best education system in the world.

I want to give every child a good start by providing access to pre-school for 3- and 4-year-olds.

Studies show that children who go to pre-school are nearly 50% more likely to finish high school and go on to earn a 2- or 4-year degree no matter their background.

I want to expand high-quality tutoring and summer learning time and see to it that every child learns to read by third grade.

I’m also connecting businesses and high schools so students get hands-on experience and a path to a good-paying job whether or not they go to college.

And I want to make college more affordable.

Let’s continue increasing Pell Grants for working- and middle-class families and increase our record investments in HBCUs and Hispanic and Minority-serving Institutions

I fixed student loan programs to reduce the burden of student debt for nearly 4 Million Americans including nurses firefighters and others in public service like Keenan Jones a public-school educator in Minnesota who’s here with us tonight.

He’s educated hundreds of students so they can go to college now he can help his own daughter pay for college.

Such relief is good for the economy because folks are now able to buy a home start a business even start a family.

While we’re at it I want to give public school teachers a raise!

Now let me speak to a question of fundamental fairness for all Americans.

I’ve been delivering real results in a fiscally responsible way.

I’ve already cut the federal deficit by over one trillion dollars.

I signed a bipartisan budget deal that will cut another trillion dollars over the next decade.

And now it’s my goal to cut the federal deficit $3 trillion more by making big corporations and the very wealthy finally pay their fair share.

Look, I’m a capitalist.

If you want to make a million bucks—great!

Just pay your fair share in taxes.

A fair tax code is how we invest in the things that make a country great—health care, education, defense, and more.

But here’s the deal.

The last administration enacted a $2 Trillion tax cut that overwhelmingly benefits the very wealthy and the biggest corporations and exploded the federal deficit.

They added more to the national debt than in any presidential term in American history.

For folks at home does anybody really think the tax code is fair?

Do you really think the wealthy and big corporations need another $2 trillion in tax breaks?

I sure don’t. I’m going to keep fighting like hell to make it fair!

Under my plan nobody earning less than $400,000 will pay an additional penny in federal taxes.

Nobody. Not one penny.

In fact the Child Tax Credit I passed during the pandemic cut taxes for millions of working families and cut child poverty in HALF.

Restore the Child Tax Credit because no child should go hungry in this country!

The way to make the tax code fair is to make big corporations and the very wealthy finally pay their share.

In 2020 55 of the biggest companies in America made $40 Billion in profits and paid zero in federal income taxes.

Not any more!

Thanks to the law I wrote and signed big companies now have to pay a minimum of 15%.

But that’s still less than working people pay in federal taxes.

It’s time to raise the corporate minimum tax to at least 21% so every big corporation finally begins to pay their fair share.

I also want to end the tax breaks for Big Pharma, Big Oil, private jets, and massive executive pay!

End it now!

There are 1,000 billionaires in America.

You know what the average federal tax rate for these billionaires is? 8.2 percent!

That’s far less than the vast majority of Americans pay.

No billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a teacher, a sanitation worker, a nurse!

That’s why I’ve proposed a minimum tax of 25% for billionaires. Just 25%.

That would raise $500 Billion over the next 10 years.

Imagine what that could do for America. Imagine a future with affordable child care so millions of families can get the care they need and still go to work and help grow the economy.

Imagine a future with paid leave because no one should have to choose between working and taking care of yourself or a sick family member.

Imagine a future with home care and elder care so seniors and people living with disabilities can stay in their homes and family caregivers get paid what they deserve!

Tonight, let’s all agree once again to stand up for seniors!

Many of my Republican friends want to put Social Security on the chopping block.

If anyone here tries to cut Social Security or Medicare or raise the retirement age I will stop them!

Working people who built this country pay more into Social Security than millionaires and billionaires do. It’s not fair.

We have two ways to go on Social Security.

Republicans will cut Social Security and give more tax cuts to the wealthy.

I will protect and strengthen Social Security and make the wealthy pay their fair share!

Too many corporations raise their prices to pad their profits charging you more and more for less and less.

That’s why we’re cracking down on corporations that engage in price gouging or deceptive pricing from food to health care to housing.

In fact, snack companies think you won’t notice when they charge you just as much for the same size bag but with fewer chips in it.

Pass Senator Bob Casey’s bill to put a stop to shrinkflation!

I’m also getting rid of junk fees those hidden fees added at the end of your bills without your knowledge. My administration just announced we’re cutting credit card late fees from $32 to just $8.

The banks and credit card companies don’t like it.

I’m saving American families $20 billion a year with all of the junk fees I’m eliminating.

And I’m not stopping there.

My Administration has proposed rules to make cable travel utilities and online ticket sellers tell you the total price upfront so there are no surprises.

It matters.

And so does this.

In November, my team began serious negotiations with a bipartisan group of Senators.

The result was a bipartisan bill with the toughest set of border security reforms we’ve ever seen in this country.

That bipartisan deal would hire 1,500 more border security agents and officers.

100 more immigration judges to help tackle a backload of 2 million cases.

4,300 more asylum officers and new policies so they can resolve cases in 6 months instead of 6 years.

100 more high-tech drug detection machines to significantly increase the ability to screen and stop vehicles from smuggling fentanyl into America.

This bill would save lives and bring order to the border.

It would also give me as President new emergency authority to temporarily shut down the border when the number of migrants at the border is overwhelming.

The Border Patrol Union endorsed the bill.

The Chamber of Commerce endorsed the bill.

I believe that given the opportunity a majority of the House and Senate would endorse it as well.

But unfortunately, politics have derailed it so far.

I’m told my predecessor called Republicans in Congress and demanded they block the bill. He feels it would be a political win for me and a political loser for him.

It’s not about him or me.

It’d be a winner for America!

My Republican friends you owe it to the American people to get this bill done.

We need to act.

And if my predecessor is watching instead of playing politics and pressuring members of Congress to block this bill, join me in telling Congress to pass it!

We can do it together. But here’s what I will not do.

I will not demonize immigrants saying they “poison the blood of our country” as he said in his own words.

I will not separate families.

I will not ban people from America because of their faith.

Unlike my predecessor, on my first day in office I introduced a comprehensive plan to fix our immigration system, secure the border, and provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and so much more.

Because unlike my predecessor, I know who we are as Americans.

We are the only nation in the world with a heart and soul that draws from old and new.

Home to Native Americans whose ancestors have been here for thousands of years. Home to people from every place on Earth.

Some came freely.

Some chained by force.

Some when famine struck, like my ancestral family in Ireland.

Some to flee persecution.

Some to chase dreams that are impossible anywhere but here in America.

That’s America, where we all come from somewhere, but we are all Americans.

We can fight about the border, or we can fix it. I’m ready to fix it.

Send me the border bill now!

A transformational moment in our history happened 59 years ago today in Selma, Alabama.

Hundreds of foot soldiers for justice marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, named after a Grand Dragon of the KKK, to claim their fundamental right to vote.

They were beaten bloodied and left for dead.

Our late friend and former colleague John Lewis was at the march.

We miss him.

Joining us tonight are other marchers who were there including Betty May Fikes, known as the “Voice of Selma.”

A daughter of gospel singers and preachers, she sang songs of prayer and protest on that Bloody Sunday, to help shake the nation’s conscience. Five months later, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law.

But 59 years later, there are forces taking us back in time.

Voter suppression. Election subversion. Unlimited dark money. Extreme gerrymandering.

John Lewis was a great friend to many of us here. But if you truly want to honor him and all the heroes who marched with him, then it’s time for more than just talk.

Pass and send me the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act!

And stop denying another core value of America our diversity across American life.

Banning books.

It’s wrong!

Instead of erasing history, let’s make history!

I want to protect other fundamental rights!

Pass the Equality Act, and my message to transgender Americans: I have your back!

Pass the PRO Act for workers rights! And raise the federal minimum wage because every worker has the right to earn a decent living!

We are also making history by confronting the climate crisis, not denying it.

I’m taking the most significant action on climate ever in the history of the world.

I am cutting our carbon emissions in half by 2030.

Creating tens of thousands of clean-energy jobs, like the IBEW workers building and installing 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations.

Conserving 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030.

Taking historic action on environmental justice for fence-line communities smothered by the legacy of pollution.

And patterned after the Peace Corps and Ameri Corps, I’ve launched a Climate Corps to put 20,000 young people to work at the forefront of our clean energy future.

I’ll triple that number this decade.

All Americans deserve the freedom to be safe, and America is safer today than when I took office.

The year before I took office, murders went up 30% nationwide the biggest increase in history.

That was then.

Now, through my American Rescue Plan, which every Republican voted against, I’ve made the largest investment in public safety ever.

Last year, the murder rate saw the sharpest decrease in history, and violent crime fell to one of the lowest levels in more than 50 years.

But we have more to do.

Help cities and towns invest in more community police officers, more mental health workers, and more community violence intervention.

Give communities the tools to crack down on gun crime, retail crime, and carjacking.

Keep building public trust, as I’ve been doing by taking executive action on police reform, and calling for it to be the law of the land, directing my Cabinet to review the federal classification of marijuana, and expunging thousands of convictions for mere possession, because no one should be jailed for using or possessing marijuana!

To take on crimes of domestic violence, I am ramping up federal enforcement of the Violence Against Women Act, that I proudly wrote, so we can finally end the scourge of violence against women in America!

And there’s another kind of violence I want to stop.

With us tonight is Jasmine, whose 9-year-old sister Jackie was murdered with 21 classmates and teachers at her elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

Soon after it happened, Jill and I went to Uvalde and spent hours with the families.

We heard their message, and so should everyone in this chamber do something.

I did do something by establishing the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention in the White House that Vice President Harris is leading.

Meanwhile, my predecessor told the NRA he’s proud he did nothing on guns when he was President.

After another school shooting in Iowa he said we should just “get over it.”

I say we must stop it.

I’m proud we beat the NRA when I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years!

Now we must beat the NRA again!

I’m demanding a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines!

Pass universal background checks!

None of this violates the Second Amendment or vilifies responsible gun owners.

As we manage challenges at home, we’re also managing crises abroad including in the Middle East.

I know the last five months have been gut-wrenching for so many people, for the Israeli people, the Palestinian people, and so many here in America.

This crisis began on October 7th with a massacre by the terrorist group Hamas.

1,200 innocent people women and girls men and boys slaughtered, many enduring sexual violence.

The deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

250 hostages taken.

Here in the chamber tonight are American families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas.

I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring their loved ones home.

We will also work around the clock to bring home Evan and Paul, Americans being unjustly detained all around the world.

Israel has a right to go after Hamas.

Hamas could end this conflict today by releasing the hostages, laying down arms, and surrendering those responsible for October 7th.

Israel has an added burden because Hamas hides and operates among the civilian population. But Israel also has a fundamental responsibility to protect innocent civilians in Gaza.

This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined.

More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed.

Most of whom are not Hamas.

Thousands and thousands are innocent women and children.

Girls and boys also orphaned.

Nearly 2 million more Palestinians under bombardment or displaced.

Homes destroyed, neighborhoods in rubble, cities in ruin.

Families without food, water, medicine.

It’s heartbreaking.

We’ve been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for at least six weeks.

It would get the hostages home, ease the intolerable humanitarian crisis, and build toward something more enduring.

The United States has been leading international efforts to get more humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

Tonight, I’m directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the Gaza coast that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters.

No U.S. boots will be on the ground.

This temporary pier would enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day.

But Israel must also do its part.

Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure that humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the cross fire.

To the leadership of Israel I say this.

Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip.

Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority.

As we look to the future, the only real solution is a two-state solution.

I say this as a lifelong supporter of Israel and the only American president to visit Israel in wartime.

There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and democracy.

There is no other path that guarantees Palestinians can live with peace and dignity.

There is no other path that guarantees peace between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia.

Creating stability in the Middle East also means containing the threat posed by Iran.

That’s why I built a coalition of more than a dozen countries to defend international shipping and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

I’ve ordered strikes to degrade Houthi capabilities and defend U.S. Forces in the region.

As Commander in Chief, I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and military personnel.

For years, all I’ve heard from my Republican friends and so many others is China’s on the rise and America is falling behind.

They’ve got it backward.

America is rising.

We have the best economy in the world.

Since I’ve come to office, our GDP is up.

And our trade deficit with China is down to the lowest point in over a decade.

We’re standing up against China’s unfair economic practices.

And standing up for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

I’ve revitalized our partnerships and alliances in the Pacific.

I’ve made sure that the most advanced American technologies can’t be used in China’s weapons.

Frankly for all his tough talk on China, it never occurred to my predecessor to do that.

We want competition with China, but not conflict.

And we’re in a stronger position to win the competition for the 21st Century against China or anyone else for that matter.

Here at home I’ve signed over 400 bipartisan bills.

But there’s more to do to pass my Unity Agenda.

Strengthen penalties on fentanyl trafficking.

Pass bipartisan privacy legislation to protect our children online.

Harness the promise of A.I. and protect us from its peril.

Ban A.I. voice impersonation and more!

And keep our one truly sacred obligation, to train and equip those we send into harm’s way and care for them and their families when they come home, and when they don’t.

That’s why I signed the PACT Act, one of the most significant laws ever, helping millions of veterans who were exposed to toxins and who now are battling more than 100 cancers.

Many of them didn’t come home.

We owe them and their families.

And we owe it to ourselves to keep supporting our new health research agency called ARPA-H and remind us that we can do big things like end cancer as we know it!

Let me close with this.

I know I may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while.

And when you get to my age certain things become clearer than ever before.

I know the American story.

Again and again I’ve seen the contest between competing forces in the battle for the soul of our nation.

Between those who want to pull America back to the past and those who want to move America into the future.

My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy.

A future based on the core values that have defined America.

Honesty. Decency. Dignity. Equality.

To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor.

Now some other people my age see a different story.

An American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution.

That’s not me.

I was born amid World War II when America stood for freedom in the world.

I grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, among working people who built this country.

I watched in horror as two of my heroes, Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy, were assassinated and their legacies inspired me to pursue a career in service.

A public defender, county councilman, elected United States Senator at 29, then Vice President, to our first Black President, now President, with our first woman Vice President.

In my career I’ve been told I’m too young and I’m too old.

Whether young or old, I’ve always known what endures.

Our North Star.

The very idea of America, that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives.

We’ve never fully lived up to that idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either.

And I won’t walk away from it now.

My fellow Americans, the issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are, it’s how old our ideas are.

Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are among the oldest of ideas.

But you can’t lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back.

To lead America, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future of what America can and should be.

Tonight you’ve heard mine.

I see a future where we defend democracy not diminish it.

I see a future where we restore the right to choose and protect other freedoms not take them away.

I see a future where the middle class finally has a fair shot and the wealthy finally have to pay their fair share in taxes.

I see a future where we save the planet from the climate crisis and our country from gun violence.

Above all, I see a future for all Americans!

I see a country for all Americans!

And I will always be a president for all Americans!

Because I believe in America!

I believe in you the American people.

You’re the reason I’ve never been more optimistic about our future!

So let’s build that future together!

Let’s remember who we are!

We are the United States of America.

There is nothing beyond our capacity when we act together!

May God bless you all.

May God protect our troops.

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Forget about chaplains in Sarasota's schools. How about teaching kids to read and write?

Ronnique Major in her classroom at Emma E. Booker Elementary.

No school chaplains: Focus on reading, math

A recent article reported that the Florida Legislature has passed a bill that would allow volunteer chaplains to provide "support services" in K-12 public schools.

It will become law if Gov. Ron DeSantis signs it.

Supporters of the law say that it will address concerns about students’ mental health problems.

I came to Florida 64 years ago, after my Korean War service, to work on the space program and also worked as an adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University.

Write to us: How to send a letter to the editor

I became concerned about the lack of basic skills among students and have followed the two major assessments of Florida schools, which clearly indicate their sad state.

The New York Times recently published a major study that reported only one-third of fourth graders are proficient at reading, with math scores being worse.

So, to fix the problem we have the left-leaning group that wants to teach gender studies and systemic racism, while the right-leaning group wants to introduce chaplains into the schools.

How about teaching the children how to read and do math at grade level?

There are numerous problems with this potential law, not the least of which is the separation of church and state, along with the divisiveness it will cause among school boards.

Bill Allen, Longboat Key

President forceful, direct in speech

President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech put to rest the question of his ability to lead the country.

He handled all of the issues confronting him in a forceful and direct manner. When heckled, he was quick on his feet to respond.

The keynote of Biden's address was presenting a future for the country rather than dwelling on the negative. Biden's empathy and compassion for people shone through, and his performance has convinced me that he is fit for the job despite his age.

Andrew T. Cullison, Venice

Spoiler: No Labels will help Trump win

As we approach the 2024 election, it’s crucial to shed light on a concerning development that threatens the democratic process − the No Labels Party’s evolving strategy.

Initially promoting a bipartisan ticket, No Labels has now revealed a plan to put a Republican at the top of its presidential bid, risking a second term for Donald Trump.No Labels’ own polling data suggests the party’s candidate, regardless of party affiliation, cannot win outright and would act as a spoiler, potentially aiding Trump's chances.

The intention to nominate a moderate Republican aligns with its chart, indicating a troubling path to victory in battleground states. Furthermore, the contingency plan to trigger a contingent election raises concerns about chaos and potential manipulation.

In the wake of recent challenges to democracy, this strategy could lead to further divisiveness and undermine the electoral process. It's essential for our community to be aware of the risks associated with No Labels’ new direction.

Claire Nussbaum, Palmetto

GOP response out of touch

There was Republican Sen. Katie Britt sitting in her immaculate kitchen saying President Joe Biden doesn’t get it. He’s out of touch.

It seems Britt is the one out of touch with the majority of women who want back their freedom of reproductive health choice over their own bodies.

Goodness, y’all, bless her heart. We know better.

Susan Owens, Sarasota

COMMENTS

Direct speech writing rules in English
Grammar rules - If the reporting clause is before the direct speech: We write a comma (,) before the direct speech. We write the exact words inside the inverted commas. The first letter is a capital letter. We write a full stop (.) before the closing inverted commas.
How do you write direct speech in English?
Grammar. How do you write direct speech in English? - Easy Learning Grammar. Direct speech gives the actual words that the speaker used. It is common in novels and other writing where the actual words of a speaker are quoted. The reporting verb may come before the words that were actually spoken, or after them, or at a natural pause inside the ...
Direct and Indirect Speech: Useful Rules and Examples
Differences between Direct and Indirect Speech. Change of Pronouns. Change of Tenses. Change of Time and Place References. Converting Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech. Step 1: Remove the Quotation Marks. Step 2: Use a Reporting Verb and a Linker. Step 3: Change the Tense of the Verb. Step 4: Change the Pronouns.
Punctuation in direct speech
Punctuation in direct speech. We use inverted commas (also called quotation marks, quotes or speech marks) to indicate direct speech. Double quotes (") are preferred in American English, while single quotes (') are more common in British English: "I'm coming home late tonight," she said. (American English) 'I'm coming home late tonight,' she said.
What is Direct Speech? with Useful Examples
Direct speech is a way of reporting a spoken text that quotes the exact words of the speaker. It is also called a quoted speech as it literally contains quotation marks that enclose the actual words said. It is typically accompanied by a reporting clause or signal phrase. This type of speech is commonly observed in novels and scripts that ...
How to write direct speech
Avoid verbs that aren't speech verbs in your speech declarations. Add actions or thoughts into direct speech, using the 'before' or 'after' approach. 1. New speaker = new paragraph. This is the first rule, and it's a very straightforward one. When a new person speaks, you should start a new paragraph.
Direct Speech and Reported Speech
Direct Speech Direct speech shows a person's exact words. Quotation marks ("....") are a sign that the words are the exact words that a person used. Reported Speech Reported speech puts the speaker's words or ideas into a sentence without quotation marks. Noun clauses are usually used. In reported speech, the reader does not assume that the words are the speaker's exact words; often, they are ...
Direct Speech Definition and Examples
Direct Speech as Drama . When a speaking event is reported via direct speech forms, it is possible to include many features that dramatize the way in which an utterance was produced. The quotative frame can also include verbs that indicate the speaker's manner of expression (e.g. cry, exclaim, gasp), voice quality (e.g. mutter, scream, whisper), and type of emotion (e.g. giggle, laugh, sob).
Reported speech: direct speech
Reported speech: direct speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
How to Write Direct Speech: Tips and Examples
Here are some tips on how to write a Direct Speech: Use quotation marks to enclose the speaker's exact words. Begin the quoted material with a capital letter and end it with a period. If the quoted material includes dialogue tags (e.g., he said, she asked), place them outside the quotation marks. If there is a change in speaker, begin a new ...
How to structure and punctuate direct speech in fiction
Speech marks. Punctuation is used in direct speech to separate spoken words, or dialogue, from the rest of a story. The words spoken by a character sit inside speech marks: "Did you hear that ...
Direct and Indirect Speech: The Ultimate Guide
Direct and Indirect Speech are the two ways of reporting what someone said. The use of both direct and indirect speech is crucial in effective communication and writing. Understanding the basics of direct and indirect speech is important, but mastering the advanced techniques of these two forms of speech can take your writing to the next level. In this article, we will explore direct and ...
Direct Speech
In indirect speech, only the necessary or important points of someone's message or speech are reported. Here, unlike direct speech, we do not write the full speech of the speaker. Instead, we report the necessary content by rephrasing them in our own words. For example; Direct speech: "I am bored of school activities," John screamed.
He Said, She Said: Mastering Reported Speech in English (Both Direct
Direct speech: "I don't want to enter the water, ever," she says. "If everyone's going in the ocean, I'm like, no.". Here, the speech is reported as though it's in the present tense ("she says") instead of in the past ("she said"). In writing of all kinds, direct reported speech is often split into two or more parts, as ...
Direct and Indirect Speech
Step 1: Write down the reporting verb that is used to determine the Indirect Speech's tense. Step 2: Change the position and time to reflect the speaker's actual location and time. Step 3: For both the object and the subject, use the correct pronoun. Step 4: Make sure the sentence has the correct structure and word order.
DIRECT SPEECH
He said " Let's go to the mall .". Direct speech. Direct speech is when we report the exact words that somebody says. In this lesson you will learn: The rules for writing direct speech. The correct punctuation. Vocabulary to report direct speech. And finally, at the end of the lesson there are some exercises for practice.
4.3 GRAMMAR: Reported Speech
There are two basic ways: direct speech and indirect speech. Direct speech is an exact account of what someone said or wrote. To include direct speech in your writing, enclose the words in "quotation marks." Indirect speech is a restatement of what someone said or wrote. Indirect speech does not use the person's exact words.
Direct and indirect speech
Direct and indirect speech. If using indirect or reported speech, the form modifications. Most indirect speech is introduced by the verb said, as by I said, Bill said, or they said. Using the verb say in this tense, indicates that something was says in the past. In these fall, who hauptstrom verb in which reported record shall put in the past.
Direct and Indirect Speech Made Easy: Learn With Real-life Examples and
When used sparingly, direct speech can be a very effective tool in your writing arsenal. Indirect speech is also known as reported speech, indirect narration, or indirect discourse. In grammar, when you report someone else's statement in your own words without any change in the meaning of the statement, it is called indirect speech. ...
Direct and Indirect Speech (Grammar Rules and Great Examples)
Converting Direct to Indirect Speech. 1. Eliminate the quotation marks that enclose the relayed text. 2. Retain the tense of the reporting verb and add the word "that" after it. 3. Change the tense of the verb in the reported speech, if needed. 4. Change the pronouns accordingly.
Indirect Speech Definition and Examples
In nonfiction writing or journalism, direct speech can emphasize a particular point, by using a source's exact words. Indirect speech is paraphrasing what someone said or wrote. In writing, it functions to move a piece along by boiling down points that an interview source made. Unlike direct speech, indirect speech is not usually placed inside ...
How To Use Reported Speech Dialogue In Your Writing
When you start to learn to write dialogue, it seems simple. All you need to do is add a reporting verb or dialogue tag. You probably learned this at high school. When a character speaks lines of dialogue, you put a double quotation mark at the beginning and end. But if you use reported speech, you need to include a tense shift.
20 Examples of Direct Speech
Direct Speech Imperative sentence Examples: We use imperative sentence to give order, advice, to instruct or to request something. Mother told me, "Do your homework.". Father said, "Study more for your exam.". Ranju said, "Please, come with me.". The dwarf said to snow white, "Do not eat the apple.". The commander said to the ...
The Feds Are Coming for "Extremist" Gamers
Gaming companies are coordinating with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to root out so-called domestic violent extremist content, according to a new government report. Noting that ...
Sen. Katie Britt's State of the Union rebuttal, in a kitchen, is panned
An ally of Britt's sent talking points to conservatives suggesting reactions to the speech before it occurred, the New York Times reported, in a memo that suggested that Britt "came off like ...
Full Transcript: Biden's 2024 State of the Union Speech
President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union remarks, as prepared for delivery, provided by the White House.
Sarasota's school kids don't need chaplains
President forceful, direct in speech President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech put to rest the question of his ability to lead the country. He handled all of the issues confronting him in ...

Direct speech writing rules in English

Reporting clause before the direct speech

Reporting clause before a question or exclamation

Reporting clause after the direct speech

Reporting clause after a question or exclamation

Advanced rules for direct speech

Vocabulary of direct speech

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How do you write direct speech in English? - Easy Learning Grammar

Direct and Indirect Speech: Useful Rules and Examples

Direct and Indirect Speech

Differences between Direct and Indirect Speech

Change of Pronouns

Change of Tenses

Change of Time and Place References

Converting Direct Speech Into Indirect Speech

Step 1: Remove the Quotation Marks

Step 2: Use a Reporting Verb and a Linker

Step 3: Change the Tense of the Verb

Step 4: Change the Pronouns

Converting Indirect Speech Into Direct Speech

Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech

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Direct Speech and Reported Speech

Direct Speech

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Reported speech: direct speech

Direct speech: inversion of subject and reporting verb

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Direct and Indirect Speech: The Ultimate Guide

What is Direct Speech?

What is Indirect Speech?

Differences Between Direct and Indirect Speech

How to Convert Direct Speech to Indirect Speech

How to Convert Indirect Speech to Direct Speech

Advanced Techniques for Using Direct and Indirect Speech

Blending Direct and Indirect Speech

Using Reported Questions

Using Direct Speech to Convey Emotion

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